


Silver-eyed Heiress

by ArchSinccubus, KuletXCore



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, F/F, Romance, White Rose - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-07-29 16:33:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7691701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchSinccubus/pseuds/ArchSinccubus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuletXCore/pseuds/KuletXCore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A twist of fate, a crook of time. Now an heiress is born with silver eyes. What will happen when she meets a certain huntress matching her unique powers...<br/>This is an AU where Weiss Schnee is also born with silver eyes. Read on as she joins beacon, meets Ruby, and a new sort of bond is formed with her. Will contain White Rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Final Test

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is written by ArchSinccubus!  
> Browse more fics by him!
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchSinccubus

The heiress stared at her final test. The giant automaton, now towering far above her in height, animated by the semblance of her mentor and tester, gave her a menacing look, brandishing a large gray claymore in its mechanical hands. She stared at it, silver eyes meeting gray metal, as she waited for the bell to ring, signaling the start of her final test. The final barrier separating her from her freedom.

'ding.'

The moment the bell echoed through the room, the knight charged at her, coming in for a wide swing at her body. The heiress didn't flinch, and her semblance activated, creating a trail of glyph away from the blade on time, as she dashed across the room. The knight gave chase, coming at her again, but this time, she was ready. She raised her blade, the barrel at the base already spun to the appropriate dust cartridge, as a barrier of blue light sprang forth, protecting her from harm. She used the opportunity to get out of the way again, and come at it from the back, giving a few good stabs. It staggered back, visibly hurt, before retaliating against her again with a large sideways swing.

"Ooof!" The heiress got hit, only surviving the would be fatal blow thanks to her aura, as she got slammed against the back wall. She got back up, spinning the barrel again, this time landing on ice dust, as she swung her blade and a blast of ice shot out of it, aimed at the automaton. The moment the blast landed, it exploded into an ice flower, partially immobilizing her opponent. This, however, did not stop it from moving towards her still, raising the blade with its free hand and slamming it into the ground next to her, forcing the heiress to either move or get crushed. She got out just in the nick of time; however it was too late for her to dodge when it spun in place out of nowhere, knocking her back. She flew away again, and managed to land on her feet, as she felt a warm liquid wash upon her face. She took her right hand, and wiped a bit of it.

Blood.

She looked at her own blood, flowing out of her left eye. Luckily, the eye itself wasn't damaged, but nonetheless, this was gonna leave a scar. The automaton managed to anger her, and now, she was done playing nice. She focused on the steps, taught to her by her mother before her. Breathe, focus. Feel the aura flow into the eyes. The surge of power slowly began, as her eyes started to take a slight white glow. The Knight, however, was not gonna give her the chance to do this, and smashed the ice attached to it against the wall, coming at her again. She dodged, now faster than before, and shot several fiery projectiles at it.

Her pace only grew faster and faster. Her eyes started seeing the automaton did. When it came to strike her from above, she stepped to the side, having plenty of time to attack it back. All the while, she felt it. Her aura burn. Even though she didn't even start the real deal of her powers, the ignition of her aura already begun. As her very soul burned with power, the heiress became more and more confident. Suddenly, the movements of the giant metallic knight seemed like child's play for her, dodging them and parrying them became as easy as ever. Even the dust in her blade started to change color, becoming whiter and brighter, slightly glowing as her eyes intensified in power.

Slowly, the swings of the knight became faster and quicker. It wasn't that her eyes were failing her, the thing itself was starting to match up to her power. The strikes, now harder to avoid, became a relentless stream of sword swings and slams, trying to decapitate her at best and smash her to bits at worst. Either way, the Heiress was not gonna let up, and pushed on, jumping back, while readying a lightning crystal. A Bolt of thunder, half yellow half white came down from the sky, striking the knight, as she used the chance to create another glyph, and launch herself into the air, eclipsing against the shattered moon of Remnant. She landed down, delivering a brutal blow to the knight, as it collapses to the ground, motionless.

The heiress puffed, and the glow stopped, while she starts to walk away from the fight.

However, a noise from behind her told her this isn't over just yet.

She quickly turned back, though not quite in time, as the knight's blade came down upon her far faster than before. She blocked it with her blade, starting to focus on reigniting her aura, while the knight, now half ruined and tattered, started fully animating itself again, coming at her once more. This time, however, she barely stood a chance, as it's defenses became nigh impenetrable. Its form was something else altogether, and each strike it threw at her was now imbued with earth rendering force. The heiress kept on her toes, trying to find an opening to finish this at last, but each time she managed to get too close, the knight's now disjointed form would either separate mid-air as she passed through it, or swung in her direction quickly enough to send her flying again.

After yet another hit being pushed back, she staggered to regain her stance. Her aura was running low as is, and without the ability to actually harm it, she had no other choice. It was now or never, and as the knight dashed at her again, the heiress recalled the lessons her mother taught her. She raised her blade, blocking the attack head on, as the knight automaton pushed her back and back to the ground. She was running out of time, and by now she stood on one knee. If she didn't do it anytime soon, this would be her end, either physical or spiritual. She couldn't let her father win like this. The same father who caged her for all of her life. The anger built it, the emotions going haywire.

And her eyes flared white, as the glow intensified, and trails of pure ignited aura, shining pure white, flowed from her eyes.

The knight didn't seem to care much. It moved its blade, same as before, crashing against the heiress with blinding speed. This time, however, under the effect of her flaring eyes, she moved faster than before, evading it, and coming from the side. With a single glyph, now glowing as white as her eyes, she was able to push it back several feet, while keeping her composure and stance. The fight was finally starting to go in her favor, and with each swing it brought against her, she was able to react in time, even her through speed increased from the flaring and burning aura, as she danced around the blade, sometimes even parrying it, while restarting her onslaught of elemental dust barrages and projectiles.

She spun the barrel to water this time, and with her swing, a wave of white, glowing water came out of the tip of her blade, washing the automaton away. It struggled against her, shoving the blade to the ground, and sticking to its place despite the wave. The heiress didn't let up, quickly switching to lightning, as bolts of thunder, white and furious, sprang out of her blade, electrocuting the water on the way and jolting through the metal, causing the knight to jitter in place. She dashed at it again, now faster and angrier, giving it several blows before it managed to set itself free, before she jumped back, breathing heavy. Her aura was starting to burn out, figuratively and literally, and if she didn't do anything about it soon, she would have no aura left to stop the knight from beating her to the ground.

She jumped in the air, glyphs all around her. The knight did all it could to strike her down and knock her out, yet her speed allowed her to keep on running. By now, she used the glyphs to stick herself to the ceiling, while running around, periodically sticking her rapier into the concrete, creating a spike of ice, dropping it on the knight. It somehow managed to avoid them, focusing on the heiress, throwing its large blade at her while she was busy pulling her sword out.

The blade hit her directly. She fell to the ground, hurt, and laid on the floor. As the knight approached to end the battle once and for all, memories started to appear in her mind. Memories of her father, the youth she never had, and the freedom, the will to set herself free from his clutches and do as she pleased with her life, burning through her soul with the aura she had flaring through her. She looked up, seeing the moon shining above her, and raised a hand, as though she was a child, reaching out to anything out there that could help her.

But there was nothing.

Weiss felt distraught. Nothing was coming to save her. No knight in shining armor. No loving sister to take her away. All she had was the moon. staring at her like a mirror of herself, white and perfect, yet broken and shattered.

'No.'

She felt a new force rise from within her. She slowly for up, forcing herself to stand.

"No!"

She stared with defiance at the knight, every fiber of her being shouting at her to rebel against the notion of losing this. She raised her blade, spinning the barrel until it landed on ice dust again, as the whole blade shined white, with runic writing appearing on it. She dashed at the knight, and took a good swing, creating a large trail of ice in her wake. Her eyes flared even brighter and wilder, riding off the path of her heightened will to live and be free. The knight came again with a strike to her face, but her mind registered it long before it even came close. She dodged to the side, and jammed her blade at its leg, utterly freezing it, before slashing it asunder, leaving only bits of ice-covered steel on the ground.

The knight came to shriek in pain, or at least the closest thing a voiceless entity could do. Even with a leg out, the knight's animator did not give up, making it move around, now faster thanks to the lessened weight they had to work with. The heiress fought on and on, counterattacking at every moment she could, until she saw her opening, as the knight swung an arm wide, leaving the other open. She used a glyph, and rushed to it, coming from behind the knight, jabbing her rapier at the shoulder point of the armor, sending her frozen aura within. The arm stopped moving entirely, and now, it stood motionless, unusable. The knight reacted quick, smashing the arm against a wall, tearing it apart and away from itself, leaving it with only one arm, holding the blade.

"COME AT ME!" She shouted at it with all of her strength. She wasn't going to back down. Not now, not ever. The night came at her, and brought the heavy slab of iron they called a blade upon her frame. The heiress, determined to finish this test once and for all, took the attack head on, blocking the blade with hers.

The two remained locked in contact, the power of her eyes amplifying her strength, letting her even match the knight in terms of power. The struggle kept on, each one standing on their last leg, one literally, as the memories came on and on to her mind. The power she had, the ages of warriors before her, the teachings of her late mother, all of those poured into her mind. Her power started to grow, expanding the remains of her aura. The flare grew to the very limits her soul could allow.

And finally, she dashed through the knight, leaving a large hole in its center, as it fell to the floor, it's puppeteer out of aura at last.

The heiress stood there, beholding her fallen opponent, as the glow receded and stopped. With her aura all but gone, she fell to her knees, exhausted, but happy. The blood kept oozing from her wounds, but it mattered not to her. The fight was finally over. She passed all of her father's tests, trials, and torments, and at long last; he would have no power over her.

"A-Are you sure?" The doctor eyed her worryingly, standing beside her in her room. By now, she already packed pretty much everything she needed for the start of her new school year, now in Beacon academy, instead of Atlas. Clothes, dust cartridges, and other things were thrown around her room, with several suitcases matching in color standing neatly near the door.

"Yes." She didn't even look at him, staring at the mirror instead. In front of her, sat the visage of the warrior was she on the road of becoming, a scar now going from the top of her head to her cheek decorated her silver eye. She combed her hair, nothing more than a method of escape from the present.

"B-But this would ruin your complexion... Please, Ms. Schnee, do reconsider this..." The doctor kept on rambling on reasons as to why she should have the scar healed and vanished. Her aura was able to close the wound in a matter of a few days instead of weeks, but the damage was done, and even her aura could not prevent the scar, but it mattered not to her. In fact, the more she looked at it, the more the scar started to grow on her.

"I said I'll keep it." She turned to him, a little annoyed by his words, her eyes started to glow faint white. The doctor yelped, and stepped back, leaving the room.

From there, she continued her preparations for the coming four years of her life. A lot was going to change soon enough, but she was fine with it. In fact, the farther she was away from her wretched father, the better things will be. She had enough of his tyranny, and his obsession with control. From now, she will be the mistress of her own fate, and she won't let anyone stop her. A knock was heard on the door.

"Come in." She called out, and the door opened, revealing the image of her father at the entrance.

"What have I told you about your eyes, Weiss?" His tone was cold and angered.

"To control them, and not let anyone see what they are."

"And yet, this is the THIRD doctor you've frightened with them!" He raised his voice. "Need I punish you again for your insolence?!"

"No, father." She replied with a cold, emotionless tone. The only tone that won't anger her father any further. She wanted to rebel, to stand against him, but deep down, she was afraid. Scared even. The man somehow managed to instill a sense of fear in her, that she couldn't disobey no matter how hard she tried, and she loathed herself for it.

"Well, either way, You will be leaving tomorrow. But before you do..." Her father came close and spun her chair, kneeling and seeing her eye to eye. "Remember: You are a precious angel to me. I don't want ANYONE to know about your gift. To protect you. Understood?"

"...Yes father. Of course." She kept the coy tone, not wanting to see him lashing again.

"Good, now, hop on to bed Weiss! You have a long day ahead of you!" Her father got it, and went to the light switch, turning it off, and pointing at the bed. She went to it and laid down, staring at the window right in front of her, where the shattered moon now shone bright and silver, just like her eyes.

"Hi, mother..." She took to talking to the moon lately. The way it shone made her remember her calm and loving look her mother always had when she was alive. Serene, yet firm. From what she could scrap from the past her father never talked about, and the secrets he his from her on a daily basis, her mother was a huntress, like her sister and herself to be. She married him and retired, but after she was born, she was called for a mission as a favor, and never returned.

"I... I did it mother. I finally passed father's final test. Tomorrow I'll be headed to Vale, to start training as a huntress too!" She started tearing a little. Both for herself and for her mother's passing.

"I know you'll watch over me from there. You always will, right?" The heiress started to feel her consciousness leave her.

"Thank you, mother..." She talked to it, as though getting a response, while the confines of sleep took her at last, and she sunk deep into the pits of her dreams. What she dreamt, was for none to know, not even herself. The visions and sights her mind beheld were for none other than herself, though in her current state she was in no condition to understand. Images, voices, and movements flashed back and fro in her mindscape, sometimes pleasant, sometimes nightmares.

And so, she slept, waiting for the dawn of the morning after to come.

Weiss Schnee, the now officially enrolled student into Beacon Academy for huntsmen training, sat to eat breakfast with her father, head of the Schnee dust company, for one last time before her departure. The mood was rather pleasant considering the previous months of grueling training and testing, but as last, she proved herself. He promised her she could go learn wherever she wanted should she be able to stand up to the trials her sister faced back in her youth, and her father, though disappointed she wanted to go learn abroad so badly, was not a man to go back on his word.

"So, Weiss. Are you excited to finally begin your huntress training?"

"Indeed father." Weiss gave him a satisfied tone, and took another bite of her omelet.

"Good! I expect nothing short of the best from you!" Her father exclaimed and finished his meal. Weiss followed suit shortly after, and the two of them went to the Schnee private deck, where a small bullhead was ready to take her to the Vale, and deliver her to Beacon. However, on the dock, another lady waited for her. A lady in a specialists uniform, with hair matching hers in color, of not the eyes being her father's icy blue instead of her mother's silver.

"Winter!" Weiss called a bit surprised. "Have you come to send me off?"

"I came here to see you off as well." Winter approached her, a hint of scorn in her voice. Weiss brought her head down, and gave a small curt bow with her skirt.

"I thank you kindly, sister." She said gracefully. Winter and her never truly saw eye to eye. While Winter always cared for her and looked after her when they were kids, after her mother's death and Weiss' awakening, things never returned to being quite the same. Winter left for Atlas shortly after, and Weiss was left all alone in a huge mansion, with her father and a legion of servants to tend to her every whim.

"Now... Do you remember your training? Do you remember your etiquette around others? We don't need another accident like the last few times..."

Weiss lowered her head. "Yes. Control my temper. Control my feelings. Never let my eyes shine."

Winter looked at her for a few more brief moments, before nodding with approval. "Great. Now, come over, sister." Winter pulled Weiss in for a polite hug, before letting her go and pointing to the bullhead. "Goodbye Weiss. I will make contact with you later."

"Thank you sister. I shall see you later as well." Weiss bowed again.

"Goodbye to you as well, father." She turned to her father.

"I wish you the best of luck. Remember, the Schnee family honor now rests on your shoulders."

Weiss turned to him, and straightened herself as much as she could. "And I shall hold that name with pride."

From there, she quietly went on and got to the bullhead. As she looked at her remaining family become smaller and smaller, all Weiss could do was stare at them vacantly. She had about five hours of flight ahead of her, and all the time in the world to contemplate her life and future. She looked at her hand for a brief moment, and let her eyes flare, if not for a second. The sensation of her soul burning was the only thing she had left of her mother, and as Weiss looked to the clear skies, she sighed with a heavy heart.

Even if she was free, she could never escape her father.


	2. Chapter 1: The Other One.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, the next chapter! I hope you all enjoyed, me and KuletXCore worked hard on this one, and in the end, both of us are happy with how it turned out.
> 
> This is ArchSinccubus, signing out for now. Hope to see you all in the next chapter.

As the bullhead came down and down, and Beacon Academy was seen in the distance, Weiss went away from the window, for just a brief moment, looking at the desk next to her. On it, a container, with two icy blue eye contacts in it, waiting for her. She took them, and put them on, already used to the feeling. While within the inner sanctums of the Schnee mansion she was allowed to walk with her eyes bare, to the outside world, Weiss Schnee had icy blue eyes. Her father went so far as to even make sure every legal document that ever mentioned her eye color had icy blue on it.

Weiss sighed, and put them on, wincing a tiny bit. She never liked the contacts, but her mother AND father warned her about this. For reasons she never even understood, she was never allowed to show her eye color, her true eye color. In time, as the years went on and on and the Schnee family pride got nailed into her head, she stopped actively questioning it, and just accepted this as the simple truth of her life. That, however, never didn't stop her from wanting to know. And while her father avoided the answers at every twist and turn, she never stopped.

"Ms. Schnee?" She heard a voice call to her from the front of the bullhead. "Are you ready for landing in Beacon?"

"Yes." She replied decisively. "I am ready. I will be handling my bags myself as well."

"As you wish Ms. Schnee." The pilot responded, and carefully landed the bullhead. The doors opened up, and before Weiss, the impressive spire of Beacon's tower stood tall and proud, around it the rest of school stationed. It was an impressive sight, to say the least, and Weiss couldn't help herself but feel excited, at least a little. She took the bags, loading them on the luggage cart stationed next to the door, and went out, breathing the fresh Valian are around her. Everything felt new. A new chance, a new life. She waited so long for this singular moment, of being able to walk around without a butler spying on her to record what she's doing, or having every single day of her life planned out for her in advance.

And then, she bumped into her.

At first, Weiss was simply knocked over, falling onto her bum, with the case that she had around her arm flying off, opening up as several small dust containers flew away. She got up, and just before she managed to give a very stern talking to to the idiot that almost blew the whole cliff up, she took a small look at who it was: The child was clearly younger than the rest of the students in the school at the moment, most likely around her 15 or 16 from the looks of it. The red combat skirt and black hair with red tips didn't interest her much, for what really caught her attention were the face of said individual, or rather specifically, the color of their eyes.

Like her own, the girl's eyes were pure silver.

At first, Weiss didn't know what to say. Her mother never even mentioned the possibility of another one with eyes like hers, and none of the preparations her father gave her about living in Beacon had anything about this as well. She didn't even have any idea if this was just a color or the same power as her, but something inside told Weiss it was the letter. At the very least, she wanted to believe it was. Finding a kindred spirit to truly understand her was a blessing she would never have expected. Either way, the girl now stood before her, not really sure what to say.

"Umm... Excuse me? Are you okay?" Her voice pierced the confines of her inner thoughts, snapping Weiss back to reality.

"...Watch it, you dolt!" She lashed out in a fit. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I dunno what I'm doing!..." She stared back at Weiss, obviously confused and unsure where to even go. She looked around, and saw the vials of dust all over the floor, hurryingly picking up one of them, and handing it to Weiss. "H-Here..."

"Give me that! Do you even have any idea how dangerous this is?!" Weiss went on with her verbal assault.

"W-Wha?"

"Do you have any clue what you just dropped to the floor! Dust!"

The girl looked at her, seemingly unaware of what was around her, still in a daze from taking the whole thing in or something along those lines. Either way, Weiss was having none of it.

"This is dust, mined and extracted from the Schnee quarry directly! Do you have any idea what could have happened if you triggered it?! With this much dust, you could have blown us right off the cliff!" As she said that, she shook the bottle of dust in her hand, causing some of it to escape the condiment and roam around the air. "Hey! Are you even listening?! I'm talking to you here!"

"Huh?..." The girl in red stared at her some more, before some of the dust got in her nose. She tried to hold it back, but in the end, her body won, and she sneezed, causing a chain reaction in the dust in the air, and a subsequent small explosion. The Heiress, not having enough time to react, caught the blast head on, thankfully not having enough force on it to blow her away and knock her back.

"O-Oh no!" The other girl, now of the floor again, saw the Heiress fall, and rushed to her in a trail of rose petals, obviously her semblance. She looked over, worried, and tried to see if Weiss was hurt anywhere. "A-Are you okay?! Please don't be mad..."

"Why you!..." Weiss came to lash out at her foolishness again, but the girl's stare back at her turned weird and silent. All of a sudden, she felt a pain coming from her eyes. Not knowing what it was, she brushed it off, and looked down, seeing two icy blue contacts in her hand, cracked.

She now stared back at the red-clad girl, silver eyes meeting silver eyes.

"Y-Your eyes..." The girl mumbled, awestruck.

Weiss was frozen in place. She had no idea where to go with this next. From what she figured, this one most likely didn't awake yet, and so to her; Weiss' eye color was most likely a fluke. But in her mind, she didn't see this girl as just a nuisance anymore. They were kindred spirits, in a way. Two similar halves of the same coin. Weiss finally thought she might have found someone that she could call a friend.

Her fantasies, however, were outright shattered when the girl opened her mouth again.

"O-Oh my gosh! You have silver eyes too?! That's so COOL! It's like we're sisters, if, uh, you know, well not REALLY sisters, b-but we do have the same eye color, so kindamaybe?..."

Weiss sighed. Just another dolt she now had to put up with. But maybe... Maybe she could do something about it.

"...Weiss. Weiss Schnee." She finally introduced herself proper to the person in front of her. The girls perked up a little and gave a playful salute.

"I'm Ruby Rose! Nice to meet you, Weiss!" Ruby lifted her arm forward, prompting a handshake from Weiss, who begrudgingly complied to it, out of teachings of proper manner.

"So... what's a child like you even doing here? This ISN'T a training school for kids you know. Only the best of the best get accepted here."

"Ya got THAT right!" Ruby puffed her chest, proud. "I got here with a private invitation from Ozpin himself! I was like 'huaaa!' and 'ptchouuu!' on some thugs, and after that, Professor Ozpin brought me here himself!"

"And am I really supposed to believe THAT?" Weiss sounded very skeptical. "Professor Ozpin is a very important man here. I doubt he has the time to meddle with kids like you."

"I-I'm not a kid!" Ruby called out defensively. "Yeah I may be young, but I can kick ass and take names just as much as the next guy!"

"And yet, you can't be bothered to look where you're going at all..." Weiss facepalmed for a short while, before loading back all of her luggage onto the cart.

"Look, I don't have any time to spend dealing with you. We all have a very important day tomorrow, and I should get as much sleep as I can if I want to be at my best for initiation."

"O-Oh... Y-Yeah, I'll just leave you alone now..." Ruby make an awkward bow, and with a flash of red petals, vanished out of sight, already away with her semblance. Weiss watched her go away, and as she walked herself towards Beacon's entrance, thoughts began to creep into her head.

At first, she didn't even KNOW what Ruby's eyes were. All she knew about the origin of the silver eyes is that they were a mutation of sorts, but nothing more. In a way, this was just something she was born with, and no one ever bothered to even train her on mastering it. In fact, she only reached the level of control she had over her eyes now by training on her own for it, though a proper teacher to how to master the silver eyes was always welcomed in her mind. Alas, no matter where she looked, another one like her was just something out of her reach, at least until a few minutes ago. But this kid couldn't teach HER. Weiss doubted if she even knew ANYTHING about her own power.

But then again, this might just work, though not in the same way she thought of at first.

Weiss never fancied herself a teacher. All she ever did was follow others and learn, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember a single time she taught anyone ANYTHING. But now, that she had another one like her around, all that might very well change. If she really had the same powers, that means she has yet to awaken them. And that means that Weiss now had the chance to teach someone else how to master their silver eyes.

Either way, she decided that there was no point dwelling on the past, and started making way to Beacon herself, and sun setting and the shattered moon rising up.

* * *

From there, things went on pretty much how she expected: She put on another set of contact lenses, thankfully packed by her father just in case, and made her way inside Beacon. After a brief speech with Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch, and several of the other teachers Beacon had to offer that year, and another close encounter with the girls that involved her blonde sister named Yang, the students were finally left to their own devices. The main hall in it of itself became something akin to a huge slumber party, with everyone bringing in their own sleeping bags, some having to borrow mattresses to sleep on from the school. Weiss, of course, was not gonna degrade herself to sleeping in a sleeping bag, and so, while it did take her a short while to set it us, she managed to deploy an inflating mattress of her own, and after setting up for the night, she went on to try and see that over silver eyed girl around.

Unfortunately, what she found were her and some blonde bimbo fighting.

Weiss groaned internally. She needed to catch some sleep for tomorrow, not have to deal with whatever THAT was.

"Will you cut that OUT?! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

She and Yang then stared at each other directly.

"Oh no, not YOU again!"

"Guys please, people are trying to sleep over here." Ruby's head fell a little, trying to calm the two of them down.

"Oh, so NOW you're on my side!"

From there, a girl wearing a bow, with black hair and a book in her hands, intervened, stopping the fight.

"Just stop it right there, alright? People are trying to sleep, and none of you are making this any better."

"Y-Yeah. You're right. I'm done here." Weiss gruffed and left the area returning to her mattress. Though, after playing for a short while, she found herself just unable to sleep. It wasn't really the excitement or enthusiasm of coming to a new school and new environment, nor the feeling of freedom she briefly experienced from finally escaping the clutches of her father. No, something else bothered Weiss Schnee, and she found herself on her feet, still in her nightgown, standing outside of the main hall, staring at the moon again. At the very least, she remembered to put on her contact lenses again, masking her eyes once more behind the illusion of ice and blue.

"Mom... I found another one." She started her conversation with the lunar body floating the skies above her. "And she's a total loon! Not to mention a literal child! All this time, I thought what it would be like to have a friend that was like me. That had the same powers as I do, and yet, I'm not even sure if she's AWARE!"

Weiss stood there, silent, letting the thoughts run wild through her mind. The options were limitless. But if she wanted to do anything, she had to pray the two of them would fall on the same team. At the very least, it would make things much easier.

"...What am I supposed to do mother? Let her be? Become her friend? Her..."

The word echoed in Weiss' mind once more.

"Her teacher?"

The moon did not answer, merely shining it's faint white, looking as broken as ever. Weiss looked at it, as though reaching out for answers from within it, before making up her mind.

"You're right, mother. If she's like us, while I hate to admit it, she needs to know. To learn what she can do. And no one else can do it here but I." Weiss tightens up a little and makes her resolve.

"Then I shall teach her how to control her power."

She looked up to the moon, removing her contacts, and stares at it directly with her silver eyes. At times, she could have sworn that looking at it with clear eyes had a different feel to it, but couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"Thank you, mother." Weiss took a bow to the moon, as responseless as ever, before stepping inside of Beacon, mind more at ease.

* * *

Finally, the morning arrived, and with it, the fresh start for each new student of Beacon. Weiss got up, and half expected a servant to follow her around, telling her what her schedule for that day was gonna be. But, much to her enjoyment, none showed up, and for the first time in years, she could actually take her time a little, staying five minutes extra in bed, and going to shower first, before brushing her teeth. Weiss decided to spend her time in Beacon wisely, though now with an added purpose and resolve. She finally found someone else like her, and she was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

She caught Ruby while drying her hair after washing her teeth. The girl, fittingly enough, was too busy to notice her approach, with her sitting down around the bathroom of all places, weapon in her hands, cleaning, oiling, and tuning it for the challenge at hand. She had a pair of headphones on her head, and so, completely oblivious to the world around her, she kept to her craft.

"...Ruby?" Weiss approached her within reasonable hearing range and tried to call out to her. The girl, on her end, gave no response.

"Ruby Rose!" Weiss called out in a commanding tone, trying to get her attention. She got a little closer and realized the volume of the music was so strong that one could listen to what she heard, one of those cheesy and cheap boy bands. Weiss got angry and went up to her face, waving a hand to her and her weapon.

"Listen to me you dolt!" Weiss yelled again, and finally, Ruby saw her hand, removing the headphones and looked at her slightly confused.

"O-Oh. Morning Weiss." She smiled at her, but the heiress did not show her a smile back.

"Come with me. I need to talk to you about something."

"Uhh... Okay..." Ruby gave her a confused and slightly flustered look, and got up, taking the huge scythe she was tampering with her, collapsing it to a rifle and carrying it around. Weiss had to be sure no one could hear her talk, and so she took Ruby outside, around a secluded stop on the outer wall. Weiss checked they were truly alone, and went back to stare at Ruby, with fake icy blue eyes.

"Soooo... Weiss... Well, why did you put those back?" Ruby asked her, blushing from both the intimacy of the situation and Weiss' proximity to her face.

"You... You really don't know about our eyes, huh?" Weiss had to first see what she knows.

"K-Know what? I know they're silver, and that my mother has those too. Is there anything special about them?"

Weiss took a moment to consider her actions. She had to play her cards very carefully with this one, otherwise she could accidentally expose all the secrets about her that her father wanted to keep in check. She opted to play it cryptic for now. She'll tell her later.

"N-No... But anyway, I hope you didn't go around telling people about my true eye color. To the rest of the world, Weiss Schnee has icy blue eyes and it stays like that. Got it?"

"O-Okay sure, got it." Ruby gave her a small salute, ending up looking a little silly. Weiss groaned internally.

"Just don't tell anyone I have silver eyes." She said and stormed off, still in need of dressing up for the day.

From there, nothing much else could have been said. Weiss prepared herself, as she and the horde of freshmen students were boarded on bullheads, headed for the edges of the Emerald Forest, the place where their initiation would take place. Weiss sat in her chair, staring at nothing in particular, waiting for the calm before the storm to end and for the initiation to begin.

At first, Glynda gave them the basic rundown of the initiation to follow, as each of them placed themselves upon a proper launch pad, aimed at the heart of the forest. The moment they land, with their own skills of course, which Weiss had no doubt she could effortlessly pull off, they were to converge at the heart of the forest itself, where relics awaited them. Meanwhile, they had to make eye contact and partner up with the first person they come across, and together pass this trial and return to Beacon itself. Some mumbling idiot with blonde hair had some very newbie questions to ask, but Weiss tuned the moron out, not even wanting to waste her breath on listening to him. The only thing worthy about him was his expression when the launch pad sprang into action out of nowhere, launching him into the forest spinning mid-air.

And as her turn came, the board sprang up, and Weiss flew.

She could see a lot from that height. The forest, stretching for miles down below. The other students, using whatever means they had to land safely inside it, and that girl, Ruby, using her weapon in a very crude manner, killing a bird on the way. When she finally felt herself starting to descend, she pulled out her rapier Myrtenaster, and channeling her semblance through it, cast a few glyphs, slowing down her fall until the treeline passed her, and she landed on the ground unscathed. She started moving, avoiding Grimm roaming the area, preferring to avoid combat altogether is she could, while simultaneously looking for Ruby, intending to partner with her.

Fittingly enough, the two practically ran into each other.

Weiss fell to the floor, stumbling back a little. She shook her head, not quite sure yet what hit her, only to open her eyes, and see the girl in the red cape with the scythe stare at her, a little scared.

"I-I-I'm sorry! Please don't get mad like last time!..." Ruby cowered back a little, visibly scared. Weiss rolled her eyes and came to her.

"Just be more careful next time, alright?" She said and started walking. "Now come on. We have to reach the shrine in the forest, right?"

"Y-Yeah! On it!" Ruby cheered a little and started following her. The walk was quiet so far, with maybe Weiss scolding Ruby for something minor and Ruby groaning a little, and Ruby trying to ask Weiss a question, only to be met with the cold shoulder.

All of a sudden, Weiss raised her hand, halting the two. She looked around, surveying the area, while Ruby picked up on the clues quite quick, pulling her scythe and standing ready for anything.

About six Beowulves jumped at them from the bushes nearby. All of them looking hungry and menacing. To Weiss, however, they didn't mean much. In fact, if she used her eyes, she could probably dispatch of them in about a minute or two. Alas, she had company, and while this was a good chance to show Ruby what her eyes can do, Weiss decided to wait. She still had her promise to her father, and she swore to show this power to no one.

One of the Grimm came at her, swiping a claw to her side, while Weiss managed to dodge with ease. In fact, Grimm like these, young and easy to read posed little to no trouble to her, even without her eyes. As for her partner, on the other hand, things didn't go along as well. Ruby was jumping around all the time, dancing around the battlefield with her scythe, slashing and shooting all over the place. Her recklessness and foolishness were beyond what Weiss could have ever imagined, and the more she watched her do her thing, the more Weiss became irritated. The worse part of it came when Ruby almost crashed into her while phasing around the battlefield, making her lose her focus for a brief moment, and sending a wave of fire in a random direction, not only missing her mark but setting a tree on fire while she was at it.

Weiss' anger only attracted more and more of the horrid beasts. Grimm started coming at the two of them like a horde, making their chances of survival seem slimmer than ever. Even Ruby, for the ball of energy she was, this was becoming tiring, and her movements slowed down as the fight dragged on, at this point perpetuated by the Grimm alone. Weiss blocked an incoming claw and stabbed the beast back, feeling yet another Grimm, when just a moment after yet another one came to take its place in the battle, pushing her back if not inch by inch. She saw her own death coming and realized she had no other choice, removing her contacts and starting to focus.

And just like that, her eyes flared white.

Ruby stared at her, awestruck once more. Weiss' movements became like pure water, flowing through the Grimm, slicing and dicing them like nothing. About three of them came to tear her asunder, and all Weiss needed was one glyph to send them all flying away, bringing another one like it beneath her to launch herself once more through the air, darting and ricocheting on her glyphs and taking them out in groups. She spun her barrel to lightning dust, and raised her blade, as a glyph appeared in the sky, shining silver like her eyes, sending bolts of pure white thunder at her adversaries, rendering them apart.

"W-Wow..." Ruby stopped moving entirely, not wanting to get in Weiss' way. In fact, one could argue Weiss didn't even need her around, seeing as she had some crazy power Ruby never heard of before, though the white light coming from her eyes did make Ruby question how can she even see where she's going and what she's doing. Nonetheless, Weiss proved the task to be quite trivial, compared to her attacks, now boosted in strength and speed. One of the Grimm lunged at her from behind, but before Ruby could even step in to help her, Weiss already spun in place, swiping her weapon on the ground and sending a wave of frozen ice at it, impaling and slicing the Grimm apart.

From there, the battle was mostly one sided. The Grimm there were too young and weak to step up to Weiss, and within the span of a few minutes, she slew the last one, and turned her attention to Ruby, standing with her chest puffed, and pride in herself visible on her face, as the glow ceased, and her silver eyes glimmered in the sun shining above the two.

"W-What was that?! First, we almost die to Grimm, then you do w-w-WHATEVER this is, and boom! J-Just what ARE you?!"

Weiss lowered her face, a little, and spoke without a single stutter.

"My name is Weiss Schnee, and I am a silver-eyed warrior."


	3. Chapter 2: A Tale of Teacher and Student

Ruby stood there, in the middle of the Emerald Forest, speechless. So far, about fifteen minutes had passed since Weiss made her claim, and Ruby still couldn't bring herself to say anything about it. How could she? After all, after what she just saw Weiss do, what COULD be said?

"...Ruby?" Weiss, on the other hand, has long forwent the heroic pose she took earlier, and was now more concerned with making sure Ruby was still all there. "Ruby, get up." She tugged at her shoulder again, while nothing reacted back. "I said wake up!" She gave her a light push, and with her tone Ruby was finally brought back to the reaches of reality, staring at Weiss with admiration and awe.

"Well? Anything to say? You've been like this for about fifteen minutes. Do you need some rest?" Weiss asked, but her tone showed no real signs of concern. In fact, the faster Ruby snapped out of whatever took her over, the faster the two of them could get out of the area before more Grimm would show up to kill them both.

"You… T-That..." Ruby managed to utter at last. Weiss groaned a little.

"Look, this is who I am. I was born with this power, and I use when I need to. Why? Does it make you freak out? Does it scare you? Let me guess, you don't want to be close to me ever again..." Weiss trailed on and on, ready for another potential friend to reject her and leave her alone. Back when she was little, just around her mother's disappearance, she still had a few friends her age. When they saw her like that, all of them ran away, too scared to even come close and talk to her.

"That… Was SO AWESOME!" Ruby's tone changed in an instant, and she now stares at Weiss with sparkling, admiring eyes. "First, we're about to die, then you go 'WHOOSH!' And BLAST at them, and your movements, and your power!... J-Just how did you do it?! That's was so cool!"

"Didn't you hear me earlier, you dolt? I said I was born like this. Most likely you are like me." Weiss said, brushing the information aside like it was nothing special to her.

"I-I can?" Ruby stared at her, slightly shocked, looking at her own palm for a moment. The possibility of such power lying dormant within her was breathtaking at the very least, and the more Ruby thought about it, the more she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's so COOOOL!!!" She cheered in place, filled with enthusiasm again. "I want to do that too! I can be the greatest hero EVER! Just like my mother!"

"...Your mother?..." Weiss raised an eyebrow, a little curious. "Interesting… I she still alive? Can we meet her?"

"Umm… Well..." Ruby's attitude fell a little, and she slumped a tiny bit back. "I… I don't like talking about that..." She pressed her fingers against each other, looking to the side.

"Oh... right. I-I understand." Weiss came to say she was like her as well, but the words did not come to her mouth. For some reason, the mere fact that both their mothers are dead managed to both bring them closer and drive them apart, creating an awkward silence between the two.

"So… Anyway," Ruby snaps out of it, and returns to her normal mood, if not still a little somber. "You said you no-WE were born like this. How do you know that?" Ruby went to laying on the ground, resting a little.

"I'll tell you, but can you please get up? This isn't the time to take a nap, thank you very much." Weiss gruffed a little, and Ruby slightly groaned, getting her, and brushing her combat skirt, looking around.

"Fiiiiine..." Ruby stood on her feet, and the two continued to make their way towards the shrine in the forest. "But yeah, we were born like this?"

"From what I know, yes." Weiss started her brief explanation. "Though what I know is not much. All I know is that after… After my mother's passing..." Weiss' head fell down for a brief moment. "After her passing, I felt grief overcame me. I could barely stand there, and the next thing I knew, I was in my bed, about a week later."

"Wow..." Ruby stood in place for a moment, taking it in. In a way, she and Weiss had a lot more in common than she imagined. "Then… What about your power? How does it feel when you use it?"

"It feels..." Weiss began to try and describe the feeling of activating her eyes, a task proving to be much more complicated than she imagined. She pondered over a few choice words and meanings, before turning to Ruby again. "It feels like my soul is BURNING..."

"Burning? That doesn't sound good at all..." Ruby stepped back a little, unsure what to say next.

"No no no, it's not bad in any way. In fact, it feels quite exhilarating as a matter of fact." Weiss tried to explain. "It's… quite hard to put to words, but overall the sensation is pleasant. You suddenly feel _stronger, faster, better_ …" She stops for a moment. "W-Well, in the end, I feel fine, Ruby."

"Wow… B-But does it do? How does it work? I have so many questions..." Ruby could barely hold herself back from bombarding Weiss with a metric ton of questions and riddles about the nature of the power granted to her by her eyes.

"Look, I don't know much about it myself, alright? What I DO know is that what it does is 'ignite' my aura. How do I put it..." Weiss thought for a minute and decided to give Ruby an on-the-spot lesson. "Okay, Ruby. Close your eyes, and concentrate on your aura."

"Umm… Okay..." Ruby was weirded out a little, but her curiosity was a far greater force, and she quieted down, pointing all of her attention on how her aura flows.

"Now, tell me… While it does go all around your body as it flows, it still favors a certain spot, right?"

Ruby closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting herself get a good feel of her own aura. It took her a minute or two before she opened them and stared at Weiss. "It feels… Like it's going to my eyes. Most of the time at least."

Weiss nodded. "That is the mark of a silver eyed warrior. From what I know, our aura flows to our eyes most of the time. That is what separates us from the common folks, and grants us access to the power that I showed you earlier: Aura Ignition."

"Aura what now?" Ruby glanced at her slightly confused, and Weiss sighed.

"Ignition, you dolt! You just saw me use it!" She got a little angry, unable to believe her ears, seeing Ruby being so dense about it, and her eyes started glowing faint white, a mark of her emotions going out of control again.

"Uhh… Weiss? Your eyes are doing that ignition thingy again..." Ruby looked at her worried, and Weiss got a hold of herself and calmed down.

"Yes, I am sorry. It happens mostly when I lose control of my feelings..." Her voice trailed off, feeling disappointed in herself, but masking it by quickly resuming her impromptu lesson. "In any event, what you saw was the ignition itself. By overflowing aura to your eyes, you create a flux, and using it, you burst your aura through your body with increased intensity, forming the effect of a white light coming out of your eyes. In fact, that white light is your very aura, burning brighter than before."

"I see… So I can do these cool stuff with my eyes too right?" Ruby asked her curious.

"...Y-Yes. You can do cool stuff with your eyes." Weiss begrudgingly repeated her phrasing. "When your aura is ignited, and your soul burns, the power you gain is unmatched: You become faster, stronger, even smarter in some ways."

"Wow… That sounds so cool..." Ruby's eyes became starry and caught in awe.

"In fact, even my semblance seems to be empowered by it. My glyphs become stronger and more durable."

"Wow… Imagine if it made my semblance stronger too… I could probably go at light speed!" Ruby got a little giddy and excited.

"Don't exaggerate. But yes, a good chance exists that you will become faster than before." Weiss silenced her. "In any case, we still have a road before us. Let's go, I'll try to answer whatever questions you have on the way."

"You got it!" Ruby cheered and followed Weiss deeper into the woods.

* * *

 

"What?" Glynda couldn't believe her eyes. Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, just tore through a horde of grimm with ease, with silver eyes no less. She and Ozpin stood at the edge of the cliff, giving them a clear vantage point to the forest below, though with the scroll tablet in his hand Ozpin was busier following his students through it. "Ozpin, did you know about this?"

"About what?" The old headmaster turned to her, looking sly and crafty as ever. Sometimes, Glynda could swear he was keeping information hidden even from her, one of the only few in his inner circle.

"About Ms. Schnee's eyes. Clearly, she is a silver eyed warrior. That display leaves no room for doubt or error." She said definitively, waiting for his response.

Ozpin only chuckled lightly. "To answer your question, no. I did not know. We may know a lot, Glynda, but I had no prior knowledge of her real eye color. Though, nonetheless, this is pleasing to know. Having another one in our ranks is only a good thing."

"So is this why you let Ms. Rose enter Beacon at such a young age?" Glynda raised an eyebrow, a little angry.

"Indeed. Time is running short Glynda. Our enemies are not going to wait forever. Summer already failed, and I was left with no other choice. It was either putting Ruby in now or losing her for good."

"So you were willing to risk the life of a CHILD for them?" Glynda's voice became angrier. "I would have never agreed to this Ozpin. I know time is short, but this is-"

"This is what, Glynda?" Ozpin cut her mid-sentence and stared her dead in her eyes. "You know that the peace and prosperity of all four kingdoms are at stake here. We cannot allow ourselves to become unprepared. Should I have known Ms. Schnee was a proper aged Silver Eyed Warrior, I would have taken the steps necessary to have her come to Beacon myself. But this is not the case. As it stands, now we have both Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee on the same team. I would celebrate what we have obtained here, and worry about the future when the time arises."

"Perhaps. But as it stands she is not ready for it yet. Unlike Weiss, she is not even awakened yet."

"But she has a teammate that IS. This is a blessing not many are fortunate enough to have. Put some faith in the two of them Glynda. I am sure that in the end the two of them will become magnificent huntresses."

Glynda didn't say anything back and resumed looking at the forest, at the many students that were fighting and making their way to the shrine. No matter what Ozpin told her, it still bothered her at some point. Ruby was now in their care. Would Ozpin be so heartless as to take a child not yet ready for the school and put her through it? All for a chance she will awaken and realize her potential. The thoughts kept budding up and building in her mind, until she couldn't take them anymore, turning to Ozpin again.

"Then I have to ask you something else."

"And what would that be?" Ozpin glanced at her for a moment, before directing his attention again to the screen with the two Silver Eyed Warriors on it.

"If you did not know about Weiss… What was your plan for Ruby then?"

"It is simple. I was to let her grow on her own, and evolve her strength like the rest of the students here."

"Then you would rather gamble on her awakening? That is unbecoming of you, Ozpin."

"Perhaps. But she has Weiss now. This union was meant to be if you ask my honest opinion."

From there, Glynda watched with Ozpin, focusing on the two students, as they advanced through the forest. Weiss seemed very careful about her powers, refraining from using them at almost all costs, especially when other students were around. Then again, the situation seemed to be calling for it quite often, seeing as them, alongside Ruby's sister Yang, the faunus Blake, the promising prodigy Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, and the champion from Mistral Pyrrha Nikos, had to face a nevermore around the cliff of the forest. Even then, Weiss kept her eyes hidden, going as far as cover them with icy blue contacts, all while fighting the giant bird grimm. She looked at Ozpin here and there, judging his own reactions to the events transpiring, and each time, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face, like this was his plan all along.

* * *

  
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. The four of you have retrieved the white knight pieces. Henceforth, you shall be known as team RWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose."

For a moment, the four of them froze in place, still trying to grasp what Ozpin just told them. Ruby, for one, seemed to gain an expression of glee and joy on her face, while Weiss did the exact opposite, frowning and pouting. Blake didn't seem to care much beyond the initial surprise, and Yang jumped her sister, giving her a wide and happy hug, cheering for her initiation into Beacon.

"Y-Yang…" Ruby barely managed to breathe under the extreme force that is known as Yang's hugs, and her sister lets her go, as the group headed on to their assigned dorm room, where they will be spending the remainder of their days in Beacon. All the while, as they traveled the various corridors and halls, Weiss couldn't help but think. How could RUBY become the team leader? She was impatient, childish, and overall, Weiss couldn't even bring herself to SEEING Ruby in that position.

"Wow… So this is where we'll sleep from now, huh..." Ruby jumped onto her bed, and covered herself with her blanket, quickly falling asleep. The rest did the same, but for the following thirty minutes, Weiss couldn't fall asleep. Many people in her predicament would be expected to have a lot running through their heads at times like these, but Weiss caught much more than expected. She did the only thing she knew would help her ease her pained mind, and snuck outside of their dorm room, taking special care not to disturb the rest of her new team, heading to the nearest terrace she could find, where the light of the moon above her shone free.

"M-Mother… I… I need help. I don't know what to do." She started pacing around the terrace, back and forth, considering her new reality. "I finally did it. I finally joined a huntsmen academy, but..." She looked up to the moon, gazing at it with silver eyes, tearing. "Was this it?! Was this my fate?! To be stuck with some dolt that can't even handle herself, let alone a team?" She breathed quickly and distressed, not sure of anything around her anymore, before falling to her knees.

"I-I thought I was meant to teach her… D-Does this mean she has to teach ME?... I-I..." She didn't know what to say anymore, looking up, helpless.

"Oh, mother… What would you have done… I'm sure you were able to lead your own team… You were strong and true to yourself. I'm just a caged girl always fighting to keep what little freedom she has to herself..."

Weiss stopped moving, staring at the moon, silent. All of a sudden, she heard some footsteps coming from behind her, as the door opened up, and a certain female form with black hair entered the terrace after her.

"Weiss?" The voice of Blake came from behind her. Weiss had about two seconds to turns her head in time, to make sure Blake couldn't see the color of her eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yes. I'm fine Blake." She stood in place, trembling a little, more afraid of Blake knowing about her eye color than anything. Blake, however, didn't buy her charade, and approached her, only to see Weiss avoiding her eyes.

"Weiss, if something's wrong, just tell me what it is." Blake insisted a little. She didn't even know why she was going this far for the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, but whatever the case was, she was there, and she could have sworn she heard Weiss weeping a little earlier.

"N-Nothing's wrong! J-Just leave me alone!" Weiss became more hectic, violently trying to avoid Blake's eyes.

"Then look me in the eye and tell me everything is alright," Blake demanded. "At least that."

"I… I can't." Weiss tried to brush her off.

"Why? Did something happen to your face?"

"N-No. I just can't, okay?" Weiss continued to avoid her.

"Look… I don't know what happened, but we're teammates now. I'll admit, I don't really like you. I know what your company does to faunus workers, and I can't agree with it. But, on the other hand..." Blake took a deep breath. "I also think you do deserve a chance. Everyone does."

Weiss stopped turning around and thought. She didn't know what to say and seriously considered turning her face to show her eyes to Blake. Perhaps showing them to this Yang girl was a good idea as well. A small group of people who can understand her.

"...Are you sure?" Weiss suddenly asked her, turning around with her eyes closed. "This is something that I can't show anyone. If I show you this, you must swear to me on your life you won't spill a word about this to anyone."

"Fine." Blake nodded. "I'll keep your secret."

Weiss opened her eyes, revealing the silver color to her teammate.

"Wow… They look just like Ruby's..." Blake got a little close to her and checked her eyes out.

"Yeah, but my point still stands: No one must ever know. Understood?"

"If you say so, but now answer my question: Is everything alright?"

Weiss looked her in the eye and nodded. "I'm fine. Please, I'm fine. I would like some more time alone. I'm not even sure how you managed to hear me, I barely made a sound..."

"I… I guess my sleep was just uneasy." Blake shrugged her off. "Anyway, goodnight Weiss." And with that, Blake made her leave, going back to her bed in the dorms. Weiss turned to the moon once more, the speechless sphere shining upon her radiantly. At times, Weiss could swear her mother's spirit shone through the moon, but those were the childish beliefs of a child that didn't know any better. Her father made it quite clear that such specters did not exist, though that never stopped her from talking to the moon.

"So, mother… Now someone else knows too." She concluded that conversation to her fictional mother. "I wonder… was this really the right move? Was this truly what I needed to do? I still need to teach Ruby how to master her powers, but for that, I need to convince her to want to learn. Are you sure I can even do this?" She looked up, pleading for an answer, that of course, never came.

"Well… I know what I must do either way. I'll talk to her, and her sister too. Please watch over me, mother. I'll need every bit of support I can get." Weiss nodded, mostly to herself, feeling resolve and determination flow into her. She headed back into the room after Blake, laying in her bed, letting herself fall into the confines of sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next day, after replacing the restructuring the beds in the room into bunk beds, much against Weiss' opinion, she decided to show Yang her eyes. The blonde brute reacted pretty much as Weiss could have expected, with a warm hug and a happy go lucky attitude. In the end, however, Weiss was focused on one person, and one person alone, and that was Ruby, her team leader. Weiss did make it her mission to teach her how to control her eyes, and now was the best time to approach her on the matter. She waited until the lunch break came, and the many students gathered in the cafeteria to eat, and after she noticed Ruby was done with her meal, she decided to make her move.

"Ruby, I wish to speak to you. Privately." Weiss mentioned, and Ruby nodded back.

"Sure Weissey. What do you need." She got up from her chair and started to follow Weiss.

"...Please don't call me that..." Weiss groaned a little, not really liking the nickname, before leading Ruby to their dorm room, now empty from Blake and Yang.

"Ruby..." Weiss gazed at her and took her contacts off. In the presence of Ruby alone, there was no real need for her to hide her true color.

"Yeah, Weiss? What is it?"

Weiss looked her in the eye, silver meeting silver, and sighed deeply, partially unsure of what will come next.

"...Would you like to learn?"

"Learn what, Weissey?" Ruby tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Our eyes." Weiss pointed to hers. "We were both born with this gift, Ruby rose. If you are willing, I will teach you what I know about controlling them."

"O-Oh..." Ruby wasn't sure what to say next. Just a few days ago, if not yesterday, she discovered that her eye color wasn't just an accident. That in fact, her eye color hid so much more beneath the surface.

Weiss didn't say anything, and stood there in silence, waiting for Ruby's response. Each passing second felt like and infinity by its own right, lasting far more than it should.

"I-I mean… Weiss, this is all just so sudden…" Ruby managed to mumble, before realizing what she sounds like, and turning her face red.

"Look." Weiss took Ruby's hand. "I know this is sudden and strange. You just discovered a lot about yourself that you didn't know about. But trust me, in my short life, I've learned one thing about the silver eyes: You don't want to awaken them alone. Because when you awaken them alone… You stay alone." She traded a gaze with her counterpart, wishing to show her what no one showed Weiss in all of her childhood.

"But how much can you teach me? You told me yourself you don't know much. Hell, I can't even use my eyes..." Ruby stared at her own hand, helpless.

"It doesn't matter. I had no one to teach me. If anything, we can use this time together to help you awaken your powers."

"Y-You would go that far for me?" Weiss' head turned a lovely shade of red at this question as well. In fact, she wasn't even sure herself why she was going this far. Sure, she knew why. She wanted to teach Ruby. But there was something else in there. Something that kept pushing Weiss on and on with her, though at the moment she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"...Yes. If it means helping you realize your potential, I'll go that far for you." Weiss made up her mind, standing tall and decisive. "SO! Ruby Rose! Will you learn from me how to master and use the gift of the silver eyes?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Ruby called back, fire in her eyes.

"Then I, Weiss Schnee, will be more than happy to teach!" Weiss called back, as the bond between teacher and student was formed between the two.

 


	4. Chapter 3: Breaching Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! KuletXCore here, releasing yet another chapter!  
> I hope you enjoy this. it means a lot to me and Arch.
> 
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In the following months, Ruby and Weiss trained quite a lot, attempting to awaken Ruby's latent potential. Thanks to Weiss, her control over her aura improved greatly, and now Ruby had a much clearer understanding of how her aura moved and where it liked to go. Even beyond the aspect of the silver eyes, this training helped her sharpen her semblance and combat skills significantly, turning the prodigy into a promising student with the actual strength to back her up.

Alongside that, many things happened to Team RWBY as their time in Beacon continued. An investigation of the White Fang's stealing streak, meeting a mysterious girl named Penny Polendina, discovering Blake was a Faunus all along, and so on. With the passage of time, Ruby too became a much more competent leader, complementing her training with Weiss by improving on her social skills and leadership skills as well. With the Vytal festival slowly drawing close, more and more foreign students transferring from other kingdoms came to Vale and Beacon, being housed there for the upcoming tournament.

To Weiss, however, this only made more risks.

While her friends were very welcoming about her eyes, after all, Ruby shares them with her, any investigations Weiss made into them brought nothing. Even further, the more friends they accumulate, the more exposure she gets from them, something she tended to avoid so far. The fewer people who had the chance to discover about her eyes, the better. But with that monkey faunus Sun snooping around, and his dreamy teammate with the blue hair Neptune, Weiss felt both attracted and repulsed. She knew that revealing her secret was a terrible idea, but having friends that understood her fully proved to be quite enjoyable and fun. Alas, she made her vow to her father, a burden she was going to carry with her for quite a while.

After an extended period of investigating the White Fang and their connections to Roman Torchwick, Team RWBY finally got their chance to get some real answers: A mission Professor Ozpin conveniently unlocked for them, that lead to a possible hiding location and a base for the White Fang. Weiss, for one, was ecstatic to go. While her opinion on Faunus, in general, improved someone for the positive, the fact remained that the White Fang were a bunch of animals and criminals, and they needed to be dealt with. Thus, she, Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Doctor Oobleck of all people set out to Mountain Glenn to investigate the rising Grimm activity there, as well as perhaps figure out if the White Fang were there, and if so, what were they planning in there.

 

So far, the mission went well. The team was able to handle any grimm approaching them, with ease at that, making their way through the ruins on their way. Weiss was just done shoving a spike of ice through the chest of a beowulf, killing and dissipating it, before Doctor Oobleck came up from behind her, out of nowhere, in that fashion he used to sneak around people.

"Weiss Schnee!" He called making her jump a little in surprise.

"W-What is it?" She asked.

"I have a question for you: Why do YOU want to become a huntress?"

The question, as it sank into her mind, gave out the obvious, rehearsed response her father gave her. "To protect those in need and use my gifts for the betterment of mankind."

Oobleck raised an eyebrow and eyed her suspiciously. "...Are you sure Ms. Schnee? Nothing else that might have wanted to make you want to come to Beacon Academy and become a huntress?"

Weiss could feel his gaze piercing her soul and judging her, not buying her words. She couldn't really escape from the truth with an experienced huntsman and not to mention teacher for many people such as herself talking to her, but alas, he promise to her father held on.

"...Yes. This is why I'm here." She tuned out the caffeinated doctor, focusing on the grimm in front of her, dispatching from yet another row of them.

"I see… Very well then! Carry on!" And with that, he went off, questioning the other members of Ruby's team, with the exception of the titular team leader herself.

Night fell, and with it, the group had to find shelter. The started a small fire in midst of one of the ruins, and while Ruby and Oobleck went out to scout and search for any Grimm nearby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang laid in their sleeping bags around the campfire, Weiss deep into her thoughts.

"So… did he ask you too?" Yang suddenly spoke up out of nowhere. The other two looked at her.

"Asked us what?" Blake replied, slightly baffled. Weiss already had a good guess as to what she meant, but nonetheless opted to keep her cool.

"Oobleck. Earlier today he asked me out of nowhere why I wanted to become a huntress." Yang stared at the half-ruined ceiling above the trio, the broken moon slightly shining through it.

"And what did you say then?" Weiss showed some interest for a change.

"Well… I don't really care about saving people and all that good stuff, to be honest. I just wanna go wherever I wanna go and have fun. If helping people happens to be on that line then all the better." She turned to the other two. "What about you guys?"

The Faunus and Heiress laid in silence for a few minutes, contemplating, before Blake opened her mouth to answer.

"There's too much ignorance and suffering in the world. We need to act to stop it. And I decided that instead of using my skills to aid the White Fang, I'll instead use them to benefit people, and show them that Faunus are not evil. That's why."

"And you Weiss?"

She remained silent for a short while, before finally deciding to share.

"I want to be free."

"...What?" Yang rolled over from her back and looked at her directly. "Free from what?"

"My father," Weiss answered decisively. "I want to be able to choose to do whatever I want to do in life. But my eyes… He'll never let me."

"But why? You should tell him to piss off if this is how he treats you." Yang got a little hot headed at what Weiss said. No friend of her's is gonna be this oppressed and keep going like this.

"It's… Not that easy. My father is a very… 'difficult'... man." Weiss kept quiet after this, not sure what else to say.

The others stared at her, trying to comfort her perhaps in some way, though to little success.

"W-Weiss..." Blake finally managed to utter.

"It's alright. This is what I'm used for." Weiss' voice turned a little cold. She removed the eye contacts, and revealed her silver eyes, looking at the moon. "My mother… I didn't know her much too. Like Ruby. She was taken away from me at a young age, though unlike Ruby, I was old enough to understand what happened to her. When I started to struggle and want to see her in a fit of denial, I became engulfed with sadness and grief. After that… I remember waking up in my bedroom in out of our mansions. My father didn't want me to go outside, but I did anyway. And I saw that I wracked the whole lounge."

"All of it?" Yang could barely believe the polite and refined Schnee Heiress would be capable of such destruction.

"Stone pillars had cracks in them. The tiles on the floor too. Plants and vases were both shattered and broken." Weiss stared a little to the side, hesitating to invoke the painful memory. "After that… I found out it was me. When I asked my father how I did it, he tried to hide it at first, but it didn't take long for me to realize I had this power. From there… I tried to learn how to control it. All I know about using it I learned myself."

"That's… Quite the story." Blake inched a little close to her. "So what happens now?"

"I live. And move on. I came to Beacon with a reason." Weiss shut them out mentally and laid back in her bag. "I have the next guard shift, so if you don't mind I'd prefer to sleep now."

"Well… Goodnight then." Yang sighed and curled into her sleeping bag as well, looking for some well-deserved sleep. Blake fell under shortly after, but to Weiss, sleeping was never easy. She looked at the moon, not wanting to talk to it with others around her, though the same problem kept bothering her: Ruby and Her tried various things to awaken Ruby's eyes, all without success. So far, sure, Ruby had gotten stronger, but with no ability to use her eyes proper, she remained what she was before: a promise, not a result. In a way, Weiss was beginning to become desperate, searching her mind for a way for Ruby to awaken. But with her limited knowledge, she couldn't think of anything, sans hurting Ruby emotionally enough to force her to awaken in rage and fear, something she wanted to avoid as much as she could. Ruby already lost her mother, there was no need for her to suffer more.

'Oh mother… What do I do?...' She thought to herself, in silence, contemplating what could be the trigger that would awaken Ruby's eyes, drifting into a short rest.

 

The waking came in the form of Yang, raising her voice a little bit.

"Hey… Where's Ruby?"

The others looked around, searching for their team leader, unable to find her. At least, until Oobleck showed at the entrance.

"Girls, grab your weapons! I believe your leader may be in trouble."

From there, the girls quickly got on their feet, grabbing their weapons, and heading out, looking for her. Luckily, Zwei returned, and lead them to where Ruby was last seen, a hole in the ground, with her scythe laying nearby.

"Do you think she fell down there?" Weiss asked, looking down.

"Fell?!" Oobleck darted from behind her, looking around until Weiss pointed him down. From there, Oobleck went on about the history of the expansion, and how it all came down on the citizens until one thing was clear: The White Fang worked from the underground tunnels, and Ruby was in a lot of trouble if no one came to help her.

"Come on then! Let's go!" Yang was the first to call, jumping down the hall without a second thought, clinging to a nearby wall to slow herself down to the ground. The rest of them, Oobleck included, all followed, reaching the floor level of the tunnels, looking around for Ruby.

"Zwei! Seek!" Yang turned to their dog, and the canine started sniffing the air around, looking for his other owner, quickly picking up on her scent and running in her direction, the other four following suit behind him. On their way, several Grimm appeared to attack them, as well as a member of the White Fang here and there, though all of them were quickly dispatched by the motley crew. Reaching a large door, probably leading to another cavern, the group looked down, only to see Zwei scratching the metal as if trying to open it. Yang kneeled down, and pat it for a moment, before activating the Ember Celica.

"Don't worry Ruby. We're coming."

Clenching her hand, Yang gave the door a furious punch, blowing the huge metal slabs open. She didn't waste a moment, seeing Ruby surrounded by White Fang members. Unleashing a multitude of shots, she cleared the way, as the whole group converged with their leader.

"Ruby!" Yang hugged her tight, making sure she was fine. Ruby frantically explained to them the plans she heard the criminals planning, as the train started to move and make noise, going into one of the tunnels. The five of them quickly made their way onto the train, following the carts one by one gunning for the head of the train to find a way to stop it. Alas, their path was not to be uninterrupted, as they quickly discovered each cart had a bomb implemented on it, detaching and blowing up, leaving holes for the grimm to enter the tunnel. On top of it all, Atlesian Paladins stolen by the White Fang came towards them from the other side, accompanied by grunts and other thugs of the terrorist organization. While Ruby and Oobleck, alongside Zwei, kept watching above, dismantling and taking out the opposition, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all went into the train itself, heading towards the head.

First on their path was the small girl following Roman around. She already saved his behind once, but before she could stop all of them, Yang stepped forward, wanting to take her on. Weiss looked back for only a short glance as she and Blake ran past her, Yang keeping her from attacking them, and moved on to the next cart, where a lieutenant of the White Fang, carrying and grimacing a torturous looking chainsaw blade awaited them.

"Go, I'll take him on." Weiss nodded to her teammate, who used her semblance to get away, heading up. Weiss picked up her blade, spinning the barrel, and giving him a glare.

"Finally, I get to kill a Schnee." While his mask hid his face, Weiss could tell that the face beneath was smiling, waiting for that kill. She readied Myrtenaster, and dashed at him, ready for any attack, as he swung his blade at her from above, forcing Weiss to defend herself with her blade. Conjuring a glyph, she quickly darted away, going to the side, while striking him more and more with her rapier, accumulating damage with each strike, as his aura got dented, bit by bit.

He came at her with a stabbing attack, and Weiss in response conjured dust, creating a barrier to protect herself from his attack. She used the momentary stagger to push him, following with is a slash from above, as he retaliated by kicking her, which Weiss jumped in response to, landing a few feet away from him and pushing on, changing her attack while the two of them exchanged blows, while Weiss inched slower and slower towards victory, she stepped back, conjuring a dilation glyph, as well as several around him, dashing along each of them, swinging her blade to and fro at him, throwing him in the air with her strikes. She came to impale him as she landed, but he was faster, rolling away, while Weiss jumped at him again.

"Come'ere, princess!" He quickly got up, grabbing her by the throat, and held her in the air with one hand, raising the blade to finish her off. Weiss almost saw her life flash in front of her, as the lieutenant smiles and cackled, showing no signs of remorse. Weiss tried to struggle out, but alas, no matter what she did, the man was much physically stronger than her, leaving her trapped in his iron grip, if not for one thing. Her only salvation.

Her eyes.

Weiss concentrated. She didn't have a lot of time, but this was a life or death situation, and she didn't really have much of a choice. Her eyes started flaring white, and her soul warmed up more and more, almost reaching the breaking point.

"W-What the hell?!" The grunt called out in confusion and tried to slice her apart before whatever she was doing was gonna come to pass. Fortunately, Weiss managed to ignite on time, white, burning aura flaring out of her eyes in fury, blasting him directly. He let go of her, staggered back, and hurt, as Weiss stood tall, raising her weapon again.

"Whatever! You're gonna die right here, right now!" He charged at her again, chainsaw blade at the ready, but Weiss saw him coming from a mile away. Her glyphs, much stronger than before, intercepted him, and Weiss following with a helm splitter, jumping above and past him, spinning in place and hitting his head. He fell down, and Weiss didn't hold back, using her momentum to use a glyph and launch him across the room, bashing him against the metal door behind them, And boosting herself towards his chest, Myrtenaster pointed forward. At the last second, he managed to block her, by slamming his blade against her side, and knocking Weiss off, into one of the carts, though the moment the dust cleared she was already gone, this time behind him, pushing the man down and using ice dust to trap him partially within an enclosure of shining white ice.

"W-What are you doing! Kill me or I'll kill you!" He called and snarled at her, but Weiss had no intention of listening to him and his mad ravings. Right now, her mission was to stop the train from going forward, and dealing with faunus scum like him was not high on her priority list at the moment.

She moved on to the next cart. There, Blake was already long done with Roman Torchwick, and Yang followed suit shortly after, seemingly victorious.

"Weiss, what the hell did you do back there? I've never seen white ice before!" She called out, and Weiss, clearly not in the mood for jokes and games, gave her a stern expression.

"I'll show you later, right now, stopping this train is our top priority."

The other two nodded, and the three of them went up again, rejoining Ruby on top of the train, seeing no controls on that end. Whatever it was, it was too late, and they could already see the end of the tunnel, a wall of stone, on the other side.

"Brace yourselves!" Ruby called, and each of them prepared for the imminent crash, as the end drew closer and closer, Oobleck staying behind to hold back the paladins.

_BOOM!_

And suddenly, a huge loud explosion hit them, as the last cart of the train smashed into the wall, blowing it up, revealing the commercial district of Vale on the other end.

 

It took Weiss a few moments to grab a hold on her surroundings. She shook her head a little, the world coming back to her slowly.

Though the world that came back horrified her.

Grimm were all over the streets, chasing the populace. Terrified citizens ran all over, trying to avoid the beasts, some successfully, some not so much. Weiss quickly got up, looking around and regrouping with her team, each looking to the other and nodding in silent agreement. She, as well as her teammates, each dashed forward, impaling a beowulf with ease, saving another citizen, while two more came from behind her, only to be shocked by lightning from her blade. She looked around, each member of RWBY doing their work, Ruby quickly picking up her scroll, calling someone, who Weiss presumed was Jaune, before going back to mowing them down with her scythe.

The fight went on, by now JNPR, as well as Oobleck in a paladin and Zwei joined in their fight. Even Sun and Neptune managed to show up, the group of huntsman growing in size, dealing with the Grimm more. Alas, no matter how many they killed, the grimm just kept on pouring out of the tunnels, and while they managed to halt them from advancing towards the rest of the city, but unable to stop them entirely. A bullhead flew past, dropping four more students, Team CFVY, as well as the teacher Port, to assist in the situation. After them Glynda showed up, looking as angry as ever, launching Grimm left and right, heading towards the hole the train left. Weiss took a breath of relief, but then the worst happened.

A Deathstalker snuck up on her, and hit Glynda in the head, knocking her out.

Glynda fell to the ground, motionless, as Atlassian knights carried her away, fighting the grimm with them. They had quite the force, more and more people coming to help, but the endless stream of monsters started to take its toll: Fatigue was building up, auras were getting low, and Weiss saw Ruby, in particular, knocked back by a King Taiju, the rest of her team doing poorly as well.

"No!" She jumped in front of her team leader, blocking the grimm's fangs again, and knocking it back, eviscerating it with ice from the ground. The situation became more and more grim, with Grimm coming at them from all directions, eager to kill and feast on the two of them, leaving Weiss in a desperate position once more.

"W-Weiss… J-Just run… I-I'll be fine..." Ruby tried to get up, leaning on her scythe for support. Weiss turned to her for just a split second, waving her head,

"No. We're both leaving. Together." She redoubled herself, ready for another onslaught of darkness, prepared to give her life if needed to save another's.

By now, even the robots from Atlas became worthless. The grimm kept on coming, outnumbering the machines, and tearing them apart with ease, turning on the humans and Faunus that stood between them and the helpless populace. Weiss saw as her chances of victory grew slimmer and slimmer.

And as another Grimm came to tear the hurt Ruby behind her apart, she lost control.

The next thing she knew, Grimm were flying into the air, dead. Silver glyphs appeared all over the place, launching her across the plaza, eliminating those vile beasts with ease. The others, at least those who were still conscious, saw how Weiss turned the tide of the battle again, unleashing nature's wrath, empowered by her burning soul, on the hosts of Grimm that poured out of the tunnel. At some point, the others started to rally behind her, using her wave of carnage and power to deflect the grimm back as well, pushing through the waves. She felt her aura dwindling as well, but looking at Ruby's collapsed body kept her going, as well as the others. There was no way she was going to give up now, not when she was this close to finishing the fight.

Weiss came to another Beowulf, slicing it in half with her blade. Jumping to her side, another one, stricken in the head, was slain. The dissipating corpses of Grimm started to fill the plaza until black ashes covered the ground entirely. She closed in on the tunnel entrance, pushing them back with increasing ferocity and strength, killing each of them without even noticing that the others stopped. By now, a small crowd gathered, just watching her, as Weiss lost herself in the heat of combat, suppressing grimm from even exiting the tunnel at this point.

"W-Wow..." Ruby stood on the side in awe, watching her teammate and mentor of sorts exert so much force. At first, it was hard for her to even imagine that one day she could do this as well, but for now, it didn't matter. Weiss was winning, almost all on her own, until at some point the grimm started retreating. Deathstalkers even turned tail, going back into the caves, not wanting to try and take on the enraged heiress, as she stood at the edge of the tunnel, watching them run away. She breathed heavily and tired, before taking a deep breath, yelling.

"AND STAY OUT!" She called, and once the last grimm got out of sight, she collapsed, the flare from her eyes vanishing, as she lost consciousness.

 

Weiss woke up in what seemed like a hospital bed. Next to her, Ruby, as well as the rest of her team, stood smiling, happy to see her awake.

"Weiss! You're okay!" Ruby reached out and hugged her, causing Weiss to grunt a little in pain. "R-Right! Sorry!" Ruby immediately backed away, giving Weiss space to breathe, while Blake turned to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah… I-I think so…" Weiss tried to sit up, still feeling sore and hurt from the breach. She looked around, before noticing no one else was around, before asking. "W-What happened? D-Did we win?"

"More like YOU won, Weissey." Yang winked at her. "You basically made them RUN AWAY! That was AWESOME!"

"Indeed, you managed to tear into their ranks so hard that others just stopped fighting and watched you go. We only rounded up the strays that decided to stick around or you missed. But essentially you pushed them back alone."

"Oh..." Weiss sighed. She hated losing control like this, but at least, the others, and Ruby was all right.

"W-Wow… Weiss, you're really strong, you know that?" Ruby looked at her.

"I guess. Yeah, of course, I am!" Weiss got a small boost of ego.

"And everyone saw it too! You're a hero now!" Ruby cheered a little, though Weiss on her end froze in place.

"I'm a what?"

"A hero! Everyone saw how you fought back. You were even on the news!"

"I was WHERE?!" Weiss started to panic. Thoughts ran through her head, frantically searching for an answer. "Quick! Was it local?! International?! Tell me!"

"Weiss calm down! What happened?!" Ruby started to look worried as well, Yang and Blake the following suit shortly after her.

"Just answer my question!"

"Local. Though from the looks of it, this story is already widespread on the remnet and DustTube. No doubt this is gonna become international soon."

Weiss' face went white and pale, even more than her usual complexion. She stared at her team with what could only describe as pure fear, as the realization crept into her mind.

Her secret was out, and the moment her father hears about this, he's coming for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say that the events that happen in this chapter, while for the most part being canon, are not one to one with the source. Just keep this in mind, as yes, some scenes or lines might be different, but the general feel should be to drastically different.
> 
> And with this, don't forget to follow, favorite, review, and most importantly, enjoy.
> 
> \- ArchSinccubus


	5. Chapter 4: Familial Thorns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! This is the final chapter before the epilogue.  
> Thank you for supporting us! In this short run, we managed to have 100+ followers of fanfiction.net, 31 kudos in here and a countless views from you guys on all channels. [Spacebattles, Sufficient Velocity, etc.]
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> Thanks for reading this story!
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> Remember: subscribe, comment, give some kudos and most importantly, enjoy.
> 
> ~ KuletXCore

In the weeks that followed, Weiss barely left the team RWBY dorm, with the singular exception of lessons throughout the school. Any other time, lunch included, she ran back to the dorm, locking the door, and waiting. Waiting for the war that was about to start the moment her father had the time to come and 'pick' her up. Luckily, for her, he was also the head of a multi-million Lien corporation, so time was not a luxury he had in spades. But she could tell he was coming. By now, he was most likely done with whatever business he had before, and was already in Vale, already coming towards Beacon, almost about to-  
   
A knock was heard on the door.  
   
"W-Weiss?" Fortunately, it was Ruby's voice, coming from the other end. Weiss slowly walked up to the door, looking through the peeping hole just to make sure, before opening it up for her, letting Ruby in, and making sure no one followed her to their dorm.  
   
"Wess… Please come out. Everyone is worried sick about you. You can't stay here forever."  
   
"B-But I have to! I-I don't want my father to take me away." Weiss retorted, voice filled with fear. She didn't want to leave. All that time she spent in Beacon taught her so much about herself. About those around her. She would never want to lose any of those, especially for her tyrant of a father. Her sister, as well, wasn't much better. Winter often shows some signs of envy at her powers.  
   
"Shh… It's okay. I won't let them take away my teammate." Ruby sat next to her on the bed. "Why do you still wear them? Everyone already knows silly." Ruby chuckled a little, and Weiss reached out to her hand mirror, staring at the face reflected, with the fake icy blue her father wanted her to have. She closed her eyes, thinking about what happened. In a way, she couldn't escape her father. He would come, and he would stop at nothing until he has her, and take her back to Atlas. Luckily, after explaining this to Glynda and the rest of Beacon's staff, Ozpin seemed very supportive, telling her he won't let her father take her back so easily, but in the end, she knew it wouldn't stop him. Her father was a very ambitious man, after all, and a very powerful fighter in his own right. Trying to talk him down was outright impossible, and fighting him? Weiss shuddered at the thought…  
   
"Thanks." Weiss sat on the bed, staring down. She wasn't sure what to do for a brief moment, before reaching out for her contacts, taking them in her hand. She looked to Ruby, who gave her an approving look, nodding her head, before Weiss closed her hand, crushing the contacts inside her palm. In a way, this was her stand. Her own decision. "You're right. I shouldn't hide anymore. If my father wants to come and take me..." She took a deep breath. The fear was still there, but she would not let it cage her anymore. "Then he would have to take me by force."  
   
"That's my Weissy!" Ruby cheered a little, giving Weiss a hug.  
   
"G-Get off me you dolt!" Weiss gruffed and took her off. She could still lose the nickname in Weiss' opinion, but either case, at least some hope finally managed to creep it's way into her heart.  
   
"Now come on! The others are waiting at the cafeteria! They even serve pancakes with strawberry sauce! Strawberry sauce Weiss!"  
   
"You really like your strawberries, don't you?..." Weiss took a sigh, and got up, watching Ruby head to the door. "But don't forget, after lunch, WE have a training session. I still haven't given up on awakening you."  
   
"But we tried anything we can think of… What more could be done?" Ruby asked, a little tired at this point. This training to unlock her eyes was tedious, and while she was a lot stronger thanks to it, the fact remained: She could not awaken. No matter how hard she tried. She didn't even know why Weiss was so determined for her to do it.  
   
"I don't know, but we WILL figure something out. Trust me." Weiss put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, looking at her sternly. "You know why I haven't given up on you?"  
   
"Why?"  
   
"Because, I still believe you have the potential. We should always strive to move forward, to advance, and evolve. And if I decided that some dolt has the potential to awaken silver eyes, then in God's name she will. I don't care how long it will take."  
   
"W-Weiss..." Ruby looked into her eyes, silver meeting silver, as a single tear started to form next to her eye. "T-That… Is a wonderful sentiment. Y-Yeah! I'll do it! And you'll help me!" She felt the fires of determination stoke her anew, and the two of them went for lunch, taking the much-awaited pancakes, as well as other more healthy forms of food, to Weiss' request. After that, the two of them, in the rest of the lunch break they had, went to the combat arena, preparing for another training session.  
   
"Now… Let's see your aura mastery and control first. Come at me!" Weiss readied Myrtenaster, ready for Ruby's assault. Ruby, on her end, closed her eyes.  
   
"Feel your aura flow to your eyes… Feel every inch and every movement… Direct it..." This was the mantra Weiss taught her, to regain her focus and control. She raised Crescent Rose, letting the tip land on the floor, before rushing at Weiss, using her semblance, coupled with her cleaner control over her aura, to vanish across the battlefield, reaching Weiss within the second, coming down with a side swing, followed by a trail of petals. Weiss made a glyph, blocking it, as the two of them went blocking and parrying hits, Weiss mostly testing Ruby's flow and temperament of her own aura, both of which were masterful at this point. Ruby and her aura moved like one, and if there was ever a time she was ready to awaken her eyes, it was then and there.  
   
Within the hour, the training was done.  
   
"Enough!" Weiss called to Ruby, in the authoritarian voice, she took while playing the role of a teacher. Ruby held herself back, regaining her composure lost in the fight, and turned to Weiss expectantly.  
   
"So, how'd I do, Weissey?" She gave Weiss a happy tone, though the nickname still managed to irk her.  
   
"You did well. In fact..." Weiss sighed. "...I believe I have nothing left to teach you. Your mastery over your aura is perfected as far as I can tell."  
   
"But..." Ruby's voice fell a little. "I still haven't awakened..."  
   
Weiss looked at her, unsure what exactly to say, before settling on optimism "Don't worry. I believe in you, Ruby. You will do it. One day. And when you do, I'll be there to guide you to use your eyes."  
   
Ruby stood there, tears starting to flow from her eyes, as she used her semblance to dash towards Weiss, giving her a hug.  
   
"T-Thank you Weiss... Thank you for everything..." Ruby hugged her tight, and Weiss, caught in her grip and not sure where to go with this, simply returned the gesture. She and Ruby hugged for a short while, Weiss still trying to come up with ways to Ruby awaken.  
   
"What is THIS?!"  
   
She heard a familiar voice call from the other end of the arena, her hug tightening in a mixture of fear and shock. Her eyes almost flared out of control, if it wasn't for Ruby's embrace soothing her ever so slightly, as her father walked closer to the two, weapon in hand. His blade, a superior version of Myrtenaster, complete with a longer blade, two barrels, each filled with pure dust crystals of various types, and a proper trigger at the base. He lost his business suit for a change, taking his sparring suit with him.  
   
Weiss couldn't answer. She stumbled back after breaking the hug, stepping slowly away. The dread in her eyes left little doubt for Ruby about who this man was.  
   
"You…" Ruby stood between the two, coming to intercept the man.  
   
"Stay out of this, you little girl!" He yelled at her, grimacing his blade. "She comes back with me, even if I have to beat her to the ground for that."  
   
"W-Wha- Professor Ozpin won't let you! He-"  
   
"I'm afraid, Ms. Rose. That my hands are tied." Ozpin walked in after Mr. Schnee, looking worried. "Alas, according to Kingdom law, a student's apropos is allowed to pull them out of a huntsman academy at any time they wish. This matter is out of my hands…" He said, and walked back, watching the events unfold from afar.  
   
"Now… Move, or I shall make you move" Her father inched closer, readying his weapon. Ruby stayed in place, not changing her stance, ready for the worst.  
   
"No! Weiss is a part of my team, and I won't let her be taken away! She likes it here, she finally has friends! Why do you want to take her away?!"  
   
"Because she's a disgrace to the Schnee name!" He called back at her, and the whole room fell silent and somber. He straightened his back and gave her a cold, stern look. "It doesn't matter what you say. Weiss was, and always will be a disgrace to the Schnee name. A failure. I don't care what powers she has, her sister at her age excelled at everything she failed in." His voice was absolute and indifferent. "I gave her a chance to learn here, under the conditions that she does not reveal her powers, at all. She broke that promise, so I am taking her back to Atlas, for a proper education." Weiss shuddered at the mention of the term. She knew exactly what it meant, and the thought terrified her.  
   
"..." Ruby stared at him and then looked to Weiss for a brief moment. She gave her a smile, before returning the gaze to Weiss' father, spinning the scythe in her hands. "You said you'd take her back even if you have to beat her down. Well, you'll have to beat ME first!" She made her resolve and prepared for the worst.  
   
"Ruby no! He's a lot stronger than you think!" Weiss ran up to her, looking at her father. The man, out of some twisted form of respect for a challenger, didn't attack yet, waiting for the two of them to either give up and yield or stand up and fight. Ruby looked at Weiss and gave her a cocky smile.  
   
"Don't you worry Weissey! I can take him!" She then returned her attention to Mr. Schnee. "If I beat you… Weiss stays in Beacon, where she belongs."  
   
"You think you can pose me a challenge?..." He chuckled a little and raised his hand for a handshake. "Very well, you got yourself a deal… Ms. Rose." He shook her hand firmly, Ruby clearly knowing the proper etiquette of handshakes, looking at her silver eyes, gazing at him back with determination and hope. One look was all he needed: she was not awakened. This was not going to last long, no matter how gifted she was. In the end, all that ruby girl was a first-year student of Beacon. Compared to his years of experience, she stood little chance.  
   
"Deal." Ruby took his hand and stepped back. The blade hinted that his style of combat was similar to Weiss'. A style with which she trained quite a few times throughout the time they spent in Beacon. While true, plans and plots were never her strong suit, she already had a basic idea of what to do, raising her scythe, and vanishing in a flurry of petals, masking her true location. Mr. Schnee smirked.  
   
"Cute." All of a sudden, the blade's barrels spun, both landing on fire dust. He raised his blade to the air, causing a burst of fires to erupt from it, and engulfing all of the petals, as well as Ruby in flames. She flew back, hitting a wall, but instead of letting herself get hurt, she rebounded from it, dashing at him again, ready to slice him apart with her scythe, but to her dismay, the man, much more well-versed in combat than her, used the opportunity to jump back, spinning the right barrel to water dust. With the two types activated against each other, the blade started to erupt with steam, creating a blinding field that blocked Ruby's vision entirely. She stopped in place, looking and waiting, while the head of the SDC jumped from behind her.  
   
"Fool." His barrels spun to a combination of air and ice, causing a stream of frozen air to fly directly a Ruby, cutting at her like knives. She tried to move against it and reach him, but the cold proved too much for her, combined with the wind itself, and it managed to push Ruby away once more, this time, the tips of her cape started to freeze, as well as other parts of her clothes.  
   
Ruby staggered back and fell. She tried to get up, but couldn't, the freezing air proving too much for her to handle on all directions. The pain from them quickly drained her aura, and Weiss' father showed no signs of restraint, almost as if he was toying with her.  
   
"This is over!" He pushed on his winds even more, and Ruby prepared to feel the wrath of Mr. Schnee's dust skills head on, before a glyph appeared before her, blocking the wind and giving her a moment's respite.  
   
"You… You dare to interfere with a match?! Insolent child!" Her father left Ruby be, as Weiss now stood before her, eyes already flaring white, clearing out through the harsh gales.  
   
"This isn't a match! This is toying with someone you know can't beat you!" Determination and hope grew in Weiss' voice. She looked back at Ruby for a brief moment, before her attention returned to her father, sparks almost tangible in the air. "If you really want a match… I'll take you on!" She called out, sealing her disposition. Ruby stood up for her when she felt weak, and Weiss helped her become as strong as she was now, even is her father was still stronger. She didn't know what she could do. She had no idea if she could even BEAT him at all. But she had to try. Try for all the friends she made in this life. Try for the school she grew to love and appreciate.  
   
Try for the team leader who was willing to put her life on the line for her.  
   
"Then learn the consequences of your actions!" Her father called out in anger, and the winds accelerated his own glyph, speeding towards Weiss with velocity she could not perform herself. She took him head on, blocking his attack with her semblance, empowered by her burning soul, as sparks of white light flew all over the place, and the winds finally ceased.  
   
"Weiss!" Ruby called surprised, yet happy.  
   
"Leave! I will handle him!" Weiss stood back a little, trails of white light escaping the edges of her eyes. "He is MY problem, and I am not going back!" She made her final resolve, and ran towards her father back, sending a white pillar of flame from beneath him, which he avoided with ease, jumping to the side. Another glyph appeared by his side, and a giant Ursa, shining white with a blue mask appeared, roaring at the rebel heiress.  
   
"Wow..." Ruby stared in shock as Weiss faced the summoned faux-Grimm, jumping to a claw sent at her and retaliating with a horizontal slash, pushing it back. The ursa bellowed in pain, and ran against her again, sending two huge claws at the girl, met and matched by her glyphs. Weiss might not have been able to use the summoning glyph of her semblance, but her eyes made up for the difference in power. Several glyphs appeared around the Ursa, and Weiss came to jump from one to one, and dispatch, but before she could, her father jumped in, knocking her back, while the Ursa lunged at her, giving her a wide slash, only stopped at the last second by a flare of aura brought defensively from her eyes.  
   
"Do NOT forget who you're fighting!" Her father shouted, and jumped at her again, using a pure lightning attack to zap his daughter with an intense bolt of thunder, cracking throughout the battlefield with immense force. Weiss had barely a second to react, her reaction time boosted and enhanced, and raised her blade, channeling the lightning through her saber and sending it to the ground. The lightning still hit her, however, and channeling it took quite the toll on her body, and it left her shocked in place, slightly unable to move. The Ursa came at her again, bringing its entire weight down on Weiss, who formed a glyph, blocking it, as it pushed down on her shield, threatening to break through it. Weiss raised her weapon, holding it with  two hands wide and horizontal, trying to keep up the barrier just long enough for the paralysis to pass and for her to regain control of her body, but alas, the Ursa's sheer strength proved too much. It broke through her barrier, and knocked Weiss to her knees, before sending a lightning-quick claw at her abdomen, and Weiss fell prone, the pain too much for her to bear.  
   
"Now… You are coming back." Her father started to walk towards her, slowly and menacingly. A crooked grin started to form on his face. "You lost, Weiss Schnee. And there is nothing you could ever do to take it back."  
   
And out of nowhere, the red huntress jumped between the two in a trail of rose petals, raising her scythe.  
   
"Move. You lost, and I will not hold back if you continue this charade much longer. Do NOT test my patience." Mr. Schnee stopped in place as if giving Ruby a few seconds to give in and move out of his way. Ruby, however, did not show any signs of even fear, standing strong in her spot, and supporting Weiss.  
   
"No!" Ruby shouted, and stood tall, giving the man a fierce, determined look.  
   
"Then so be it." He raised his blade, ready to strike her down, knowing that the wind from earlier left her weak and vulnerable. Ruby, on her end, readied her scythe once more. This was her decisive moment. She was not going to let Weiss down. She was going to protect her.  
   
The blade came down, only to be met with a flare of light.

* * *

Weiss could barely believe what she saw. Ruby was now blocking her father's blade with her weapon, with her eyes taking a similar flare to Weiss, trails of light escaping the edges. She pushed the man down, trying to topple him with her strength, only to be met with an equal force.  
   
"No matter! This won't help you!" He called back, and the Ursa lashed out at her, dashing at Ruby with a claw at the ready. Ruby, still new to her powers, was not able to react in time, but fortunately, Weiss was there to help her, taking the shot instead and blocking it.  
   
"Wiess!" Ruby called to her in the midst of the adrenaline rush from the battle.  
   
"We'll do this together!" Weiss couldn't believe her eyes. Ruby finally awakened, at the verge of being taken away by her father, just at the right moment. Just like the time Weiss awakened. This both filled her with joy and renewed hope. Her father might be stronger, but they were two against one.  
   
First, they focused on the Ursa, shooting it with a couple of white-flaring ice flowers. It staggered back, ice covering it and slowing it down, while Mr. Schnee tried to interfere with his own dust skills, matched by Weiss and her glyphs to shield the two.  
   
She took a short moment to look at Ruby's eyes, the light from her eyes taking a slightly golden hue, unlike Weiss', who had a slight blue one. The two lights entwined and conjoined, forming an intricate dance of ice blue and gold. The Ursa was finally restrained proper, and Ruby used her semblance, moving faster than ever before in her life, raising a yell while her scythe opened up, slicing the ursa in half. The beast yelped in pain, before falling down, starting to dissipate into white light as well, before Mr. Schnee took it back, releasing the summon as the whole white Grimm vanished right before their eyes instantly.  
   
"Now, you face me." He stepped up, and the two warriors didn't waste a moment, lunging at him with a combined team attack, which he stopped mid-air with a shield of his own. Fortunately, with Ruby and Weiss' combined power, the shield proved not enough, shattering and pushing him back.  
   
"Wha-!" He jumped back to avoid being staggered, and sent forth another wave of wind; this time infused with heat instead of cold. Ruby and Weiss looked to each other and nodded, using their combined auras to send a pulse of pure, ignited aura, strong enough to disrupt the dust in his barrel, triggering it overly so and causing it to malfunction, and exhaust itself.  
   
His anger started to dominate his mind, Mr. Schnee discarded the use of dust altogether, opting to use his glyphs instead. He vanished from his place, using the glyphs to ricochet around the room in great velocity, not expecting Ruby. She triggered her semblance, and white rose petals flew across the room, Ruby moving just as fast, if not faster at him, meeting his blade with her own wherever he went. Weiss took the chance, and jumped up, creating a glyph on the floor, and driving Myrtenaster through it, sent icebergs all around her, shining white and filled with light, aiming at everything around her. Ruby was able to avoid it in time, while her father was not as fortunate, half of his body getting stuck in the ice.  
   
"YOU!..." He finally unleashed the most of his anger, shattering the ice with some force, and coming directly at Weiss, swinging his blade at her over and over. She went on the defensive, trying to parry him, but her father left her no opening, Ruby as well has taken into account, this time, handling the two of them somehow. But it was clear: He was running out of aura, little by little, the glyphs taking their toll on his soul.  
   
In the meantime, Ruby's soul burned for the first time ever. It felt amazing, more so than Weiss could ever describe in words. Each movement she did, each swing with her weapon, was infused with more power than she knew she had. In fact, it was overwhelming in a way, and for a moment, she was afraid she would lose control. But then she stared at Weiss. Weiss, who never gave up on her, who always stood by her side, who served as her friend and teacher. Ruby's aura roared, and she channeled this into her attacks with complete mastery. Her father was NOT going to take her away, and the determination kept Ruby steady and strong.  
   
Mr. Schnee was on his last leg. The two's combined assault finally managed to crack through his skill, and in the end, he felt the last smidgen of his aura run out, taken away by a combined shot. He fell to his back, unable to fight anymore, and Weiss stood on top of him, anger seething in her eyes.  
   
"I'm staying." She said, her voice clear and cold. This was no heroic victory. No one was going to sing praises of their names after this. Families were going to be torn asunder by her decision, and Weiss was okay with this.  
   
"Then you are no longer my daughter." His voice was filled with spite and scorn. One last attack on her. Weiss took a moment to consider, and stepped off of him, still staring into his eyes.  
   
"So be it."


	6. Epilogue: Silver Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this short but sweet fic Me and Arch whipped up. It started as a simple idea, yet it sparked a whole new story. I never expected that this story will break a hundred followers on FF.net, and more than 800 views on AO3!
> 
> It was nice to see you all. I hope we meet again soon!
> 
> Here's the final chapter of this short but wonderful story. Comment, Give Kudos and most importantly, Enjoy!
> 
> \- KuletXCore

Weiss decided to sleep in a little. After the events of a few days ago, where her father ceremoniously disowned her, following the intense fight they had, the school decided to give her time to recuperate, and so, she was allowed to skip classes for a short while, and rest. Of course, Weiss wouldn't usually do this, but now having Ruby under her wing proved to be quite tiresome, prompting Weiss to use most of her energy on training her to become a proper silver eyed warrior.

 

"Goooood morning Weissey!" Ruby kicked the door it, smiling happily, carrying a plate with food on it, brought from the cafeteria. Weiss brought herself to sitting in bed, while her student brought her the plate, complete with silverware, which Weiss too, slowly digging into the food.

 

"Morning Ruby..." She yawned a little. Weiss never got a clue about how Ruby is so upbeat and cheerful from the moment she wakes up. In fact, now that Weiss thought about it, when Ruby IS asleep she's actually quite adorable, peacefully slumbering in her bed. She blushed a little at the thought, but nevertheless, managed to hold her composure, continuing to eat, while trying to think of what training exercise to give Ruby today. Even though her awakening was only so recent, Weiss' prior training really paid off, and Ruby had a much easier time understanding and controlling her eyes then Weiss had in her youth.

 

"So! What do we have planned for today?" Ruby asked, almost wagging a tail in excitement if she had one. Weiss took the mug on her tray, filled with coffee, and sipped on it gently, feeling the caffeine wake her up.

 

"Well… first, the morning jog. A hundred laps around Beacon. Then you go about your usual school day, there's a test coming up and I promised Ozpin this wouldn't disturb the school activities for you, and after that, we'll have a combat session. This time, no holding back."

 

Ruby squeed a little. Of course, she already had her chance to fight Weiss with her eyes activated, even before her father showed up, but this was gonna be the first time when the two of them could indulge in their eyes freely, not needing to fear hurting each other. Weiss may have had more experience in using her silver eyes, but Ruby sure wasn't going to go down without giving her one hell of a time.

 

Ruby left for her run, doing the laps, and using her eyes to move herself faster, while Weiss got out of bed, dressed up, and went out for a stroll. The fight with her father still rolled in her eyes, each scene playing in perfect harmony with the others: The final strike, her father, down on the floor.

 

The disowning.

 

At the moment, her heart screamed at her loud and clear what was right to do, and she followed it. Now, in the aftermath, while going back was not an option, Weiss couldn't help but still feel shreds of doubt in her heart. She continued to walk, thinking about what she has done and what will she do next, before bumping into a familiar entity: Professor Ozpin, sipping on his own coffee, with Glynda just leaving for one of her own errands at the school. Ozpin turned to her and gave Weiss a gentle smile.

 

"Good morning, Ms. Schnee."

 

Schnee. That name burned the back of her head like a mark of shame. Her head fell a little. "G-Good morning, Professor Ozpin."

 

"Hmm… Perhaps Schnee isn't the right term for you anymore. Not after what happened with your father. I apologize."

 

Weiss raised her head anew and waved it. "N-No, don't apologize. It's alright."

 

Ozpin nodded once and took another sip of his mug. "Well… Either way, how is your little student doing? I assume you've been guiding her well."

 

"Of course, Professor Ozpin." Weiss bowed to him slightly. While she wasn't an official member of Beacon's staff, Weiss was given official permission from Ozpin to take the time and teach Ruby what she needed about her eyes to prepare her properly for it. Weiss took a short gaze to the window outside, watching Ruby complete yet another lap around the school, her eyes leaving a trail of white light in her wake. Weiss chuckled internally and returned her attention to the Professor.

 

"Good to know… I expect great things from her. From you as well. I hope soon you will be able to return to classes?"

 

"Yes, I should be fine fully by next week I assume." Weiss nodded again. The school infirmary finally gave her a thumbs up on her recovery, and so, the natural order would return to her life.

 

"That is some good news in such troubled times..." Ozpin sighed. "The breach could have been prevented. But either way, here we stand. With two silver-eyed warriors, ready."

 

"True..." Weiss simply nodded, having nothing in particular to add. Ozpin remained silent for a brief moment, as though thinking, before putting his mug down, staring at Weiss.

 

"What do you know about your eyes? You know the basic details, sure, but have you ever heard any of the legends?"

 

"The stories about people like us?..." Weiss closed her eyes to think. So far yes, the two of them made some significant progress, but by no means were any of them close to the level described in the tales of old, huntsmen strong enough that they kill though the forces of the Grimm with but a simple stare. "...Not much, I'm afraid." Her focus came back to the physical world, Weiss resolved to learn what the professor meant by saying it and that her luck he was just about to.

 

"Well… I think you two are becoming closer and closer to that level." He said to her with a smile "You've been doing a great job as a teacher, Weiss. I'm sure Ruby has a lot of fun learning under your wing."

 

"T-Thank you?" Weiss was a little perplexed. "B-But Professor Ozpin… Fun?"

 

Ozpin looked at her and chuckled. "Of course. One of the most important aspects of learning is to make sure you enjoy it. And so far, when Ms. Rose is confronted about the subject, she shows very large affection to you and your lessons..." Ozpin took another sip of his coffee.

 

"S-So… What I am doing is good. Right?" Weiss asked again, and Ozpin nodded.

 

"Just keep her on that path. One day, she will become a magnificent huntress. That applies to you as well. She managed to teach you quite a lot as a team leader over the time. Cherish these times with her, Weiss. You never know what will the future bring..."

 

Weiss silenced herself for a moment and thought about what he just told her. In the end, he was right. The life of a huntress was hectic at best and terminal at worst. A mission can go wrong at any moment, after all. Weiss gathered her thoughts, and made up her mind, before opening her eyes, and giving the professor a short bow.

 

"Thank you for your words of wisdom, Professor Ozpin."

 

"My pleasure, Ms. Weiss." He chuckled a little and looked at his watch. "But alas, it would seem my time here has run rather short. If I don't go now, Glynda might scold me again..." He gave a small chuckle once more, before turning away, to leave Weiss to her devices, before turning back, and giving her one last look. "I expect great things from you and her."

 

"Of course Professor. And I will be more than happy to oblige." She smiled a little, as Ozpin took his leave, walking away, his cane clicking against the stone floor every step or two. Weiss walked away as well, headed to the main city of Vale, to purchase more dust for her sword. Now, without her father to supply her with dust for Myrtenaster, Weiss was forced to go out and buy it herself, using the allowance the school gave orphans that stayed within it for maintenance. As she headed for the shuttle and watched Vale from above, the memories of seeing Vale for the first time passed through her mind again, alongside what she was now. She came to Vale as an heiress.

 

And remained an orphan.

 

* * *

 

The day passed rather slowly, Weiss running a few errands throughout Vale, from buying dust to some reading in the library to studying for the upcoming test. She was never one to stand down and slack about, and even though she missed a few of Mr. Oobleck's classes, it took her a day or two to catch up on the material, and she was almost ready for it. Sitting in her room, book in front of her, she was busy on her study session, when a rather grouchy Ruby, alongside her sister and partner, entered the dorm, greeting her.

 

"Hey, Weiss. Man, you have no idea what you missed in class today..." Yang chuckled, and sat on her bed, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

 

"Ugh… Do I want to know?" Weiss groaned a little, trying to return to her book, but alas, it was too late, and her team's return made her lose her focus for the time being.

 

"Ruby fell asleep in Dr. Oobleck's class again." Yang giggled a little. "She actually snored… It was so cute. At least, until the Oobleck caught her."

 

"Please don't bring it up again..." Ruby jumped to her bed, laying on it as well, burying her head in her pillow. "He scolded me in front of everyone..."

 

"At least he didn't give you detention..." Weiss sighed. If that were to happen, she wouldn't be able to spar today, and while Weiss was hesitant to admit it outright, she did like her spars with her student. Ruby was a very powerful opponent now, and against her, Weiss could finally feel she had an equal. Someone who can match her one to one. Someone who can push her to new heights.

 

"At least..." Ruby muffled from beneath the pillow, before turning on her back, and taking a deep sigh. "But, at least, school's done! Weiss, you coming?" It took her less than a second to already be on her feet again, the session being the only thing that kept her up that day. Sure, there was a test tomorrow, but it was totally going to be worth it. She knew it.

 

"Give me a few more minutes then." Weiss finished up the paragraph she was writing at the moment, and up from her chair, taking Myrtenaster with her, heading to the door. Ruby cheerfully followed up, a little hyperactive than her usual self, every once in a while dashing a little forward, while Weiss calmly walked to the arena.

 

"If you use up your aura like this you won't be able to do much against me, you know." Weiss pointed to her as the two traveled the halls of Beacon, the combat arena only a few minutes' walk from them.

 

"I know… But this is going to be so much FUN!" Ruby cheered in place, barely able to wait. At last, they appeared at the arena, Weiss opening the doors with the keys Ozpin was so gracious as to land to her for the time being, and entered the stairway, jumping down to the arena itself, with Ruby being right behind her. Weiss walked away a little, spinning the barrel of her blade, eager to start, as the light began to form in her eyes, sparkling for a second.

 

"Are you ready?" Weiss asked, tension almost visible in the air, before Ruby gave her a cocky grin, pulling crescent Rose out, and extending it to full size, now a fully formed scythe in her hands.

 

"No holding back, right Weissey?"

 

Weiss grinned at her, getting into position.

 

"No holding back!" She said, as a glyph formed under her feet, launching her at Ruby.

 

Weiss came from above, the glyph also adding a hint of altitude to her movement, bringing her blade down on Ruby's body, which moved away, using her semblance to ricochet away from harm's path, dashing across the room. The flare kept building up on Ruby and Weiss' eyes, and Ruby spun in place, aiming a few shots at her opponent, who brought up a glyph, defending herself, and retaliating with her own form of projectiles, sending a volley of ice flowers in Ruby's direction, covering a wide area. One of the icy blasts came close to her, and Ruby readied her scythe, slicing it apart, as it exploded on touch, sending shards of ice all over the area. Some hit her, dragging Ruby back a little, though not for long, as her eyes finally set ablaze, white light, tinted slight gold, burst from her eyes, the trails of light flowing from them.

 

"So the warm up is over…" Weiss grinned, as her own eyes ignited as well, light blue clashing with the gold over a sea of white. The two jumped close to one another, bringing down their weapons, the shock wave formed blowing them away, though not for long. Weiss already had her glyphs surround Ruby, jumping from one to one, waiting for the right moment, while Ruby herself spun in place, landing with her feet against the wall, the concrete cracking a little at the force, before vanishing anew, headed after Weiss. While the former was not as fast as her student, Ruby catching up to her with ease, Weiss was far from not prepared, spinning in place midair with Ruby close on her tail, fire erupting from her saber, glowing burning white, searing Ruby and sending her away. Ruby landed on the floor, stretching for but a moment, pumping her body with yet more ignited aura, her semblance calling at her to run. She disappeared again, appearing behind Weiss, and giving her a clean shot at her back, Weiss flying to the ground, landing on a glyph at the last second, at least saving her from a MAJOR aura loss. Weiss got up, panting a little bit, Ruby landing in front of her, before jumping again, pulling the cartridge on her scythe, and replacing it with one that had a black mark on it.

 

The mark of gravity dust.

 

Ruby blinked away from place, now circling the walls, shooting Weiss from all directions, the former heiress now forced to defend herself with her own dust, creating a sphere of ice around her. Ruby's bullets banged against the ice, slowly cracking it, but giving Weiss enough time to think of a plan, as she spun the barrel of her blade to lightning dust, Myrtenaster now crackling with faint jolts of white lightning. Any ordinary person would have already been blinded by all the light from the arena, the ice, Ruby's bullets, even the petals that resulted from her semblance shining white, but to the two of them, it didn't matter in the least, her soul shouting alive burning, Weiss raised her sabre, channeling the lightning through the remaining ice, blasting it and exploding it, as electrically charged ice chunks flew all over the place, creating a field of electricity. Lightning raced throughout the whole arena, Ruby caught in the middle of it, as Weiss snapped her fingers, sending her aura forth, the lightning bursting from the ice containing it, Ruby getting hit directly. She fell to the ground, looking at Weiss fiercely, trying to think of a way out as her body relearned how to move after being paralyzed from such an attack.

 

"Weiss..." She breathed a little heavy, Weiss approaching her, sending her blade to the side.

 

"Are you sure you can go on?" Weiss felt a little concerned about her. An electrical charge of this magnitude would have easily fried someone else, Ruby able to survive thanks to her masterful aura control. Ruby took a brief moment, staggering back to her feet, and raising her weapon, readying it.

 

"I'm just getting started!" She vanished again, now faster than before, and before Weiss could even tell what was going on, the blade of the scythe was sent at her side, Weiss having but a split second to react, though the attack still managed to knock her off her feet. The scythe transformed in Ruby's hands, the blade moving back and straightening, brought down on Weiss' body from above her. She rolled away, a glyph jumped her back to her feet, Weiss now more than ever determined to win. There was no more doubt in her heart about it.

 

Ruby has reached her level.

 

No longer were they teacher and student. Even though Weiss knew very little about her own powers, all that she knew, Ruby knew now as well. Two equal forces, now clashing to see who truly is the master between the two. Ruby didn't let up, her assault only intensifying, as Weiss retaliated just as much, trading blows with her over and over. All the while, the words Ozpin spoke to her just this morning kept ringing in her mind.

 

'Cherish your time with her…'

 

The phrase kept resonating with her, Weiss not letting it make her slip up. She saw Ruby as a teammate, as a partner, as a leader and as a student. The thought of being something more than that with her never really came up to her, at least until that moment. She took the moment to consider, blocking another swing. If her father had a say in it, she would have most likely be wed  to someone of some other wealthy family, to keep the purity of House Schnee or something along those lines. Her father was quite proud of the heritage his family maintained, and it was the custom for a few generations now to find people with exclusively recessive genes, to ensure the glyphs would take hold. However, Weiss was no longer bound to that family, and the reality of it dawned on her, little by little. Now, she was the master of her own fate. No one could command her, no one could force her to do anything. Ruby's blade came down again, Weiss blocking it, putting everything she has into disrupting the power balance in her favor, Ruby doing the same, until the buzzer rang, signaling one of them went into the red zone with her aura. Their eyes stopping to flair, the two of them looked up, to see who won, until they the image on the screen managed to surprise them both:

 

It was a tie.

 

Ruby looked back at Weiss, breathing heavy. Weiss was panting as well, tired from the skirmish, and the two of them smiled at each other, content.

 

"So… How'd I do?" Ruby asked, ready for the usual berating Weiss gave her, about how imperfect her form was, and so on and so forth. Weiss, instead, looked at Ruby's eyes and smiled.

 

"You were perfect, Ruby. I have nothing more to teach you."

 

It took Ruby a few seconds to register that right.

 

"I, uh… Excuse me?" She asked, unsure. There was no way Weiss just said those words.

 

"I meant what I said. You did a marvelous work so far, and now, I am proud to say we are equals in power."

 

Ruby slumped back a little, falling on her ass. It was overwhelming, to be sure, but sad as well. She looked at Weiss, realizing what this meant, as tears gathered at the sides of her eyes. "D-Does that mean you won't teach me anymore? I really liked the lessons with you..." Her voice had a hint of begging in it, and Weiss, not wanting to cause her sorrow, kneeled behind her, giving Ruby a hug, as surprised as she was.

 

"Don't worry, Ruby. Just because I taught you everything I know doesn't mean I know everything. There is still a lot the two of us can learn, and I look forward to learning it. With you."

 

Ruby's sad demeanor swiftly changed to a bright, happy smile.

 

"That sounds great!" Ruby tightened the hug on her own, surprising Weiss at the pressure.

 

"J-Just like Yang..." Weiss choked a little under the pressure, and Ruby immediately let her go.

 

"So… same time tomorrow?" She asked excitingly, and Weiss nodded.

 

"I'll speak to Professor Ozpin after the test. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I kept the keys for the arena for a while."

 

"Yay!" Ruby jumped in place, somehow able to do so under the fatigue, and started to walk back to the dorms, when it hit her again.

 

"Darn, I have to study for the test now..."

 

Weiss smiled faintly, and approached her, standing now next to Ruby.

 

"Do you want me to teach you? I've been going over the material for quite a while now, and I'm pretty much I can help you properly prepare for it."

 

"Aww, thanks, Weissey!" Ruby hugged her again, and Weiss groaned a little.

 

"G-Get off me, you dolt, we need to rest." She brushed her combat skirt, as she and Ruby started to walk back. As they walked, Weiss could feel Ruby's hand slip into hers, holding it.

 

And Weiss looked at Ruby again, keeping their hands connected.

 

* * *

 

 

From there, the two of them returned to the dorm. Yang was already fast asleep, and Blake was nowhere to be found, most likely at the library, never being one to sleep early. Ruby and Weiss sat next to the table, opening their study books, as Weiss began to casually guide Ruby anew, preparing her on the various points and eras of history that were going to show up in Oobleck's test. Ruby looked a little tired, having both the fight and the subject that frankly wasn't that interesting to her on her mind, but nonetheless, she kept at it, trying her best to stick with Weiss, who diligently showed her the material and answered her questions, hoping to prepare her.

 

"And with that, we're done." Weiss finally closed the book. Ruby cheered a little, the boredom almost lulling her to sleep. "So, Weissey… what do we do now?"

 

"Well, I guess we should sleep. I should return to class tomorrow too, so I have to wake up early like I used to." Weiss looked at the clock. In all due honesty, it wasn't THAT late, and she could spare a while longer. "Then again… If you want, we could do something." In a way, she already reached that decision. Ruby was her partner, her best friend. And in a way, a part of her told her this felt right. She never really got attracted to her own gender, mainly due to being forced to never devote any time for it, but now, that she had no more limitations, the thoughts slowly crept in.

 

"Well..." Ruby looked at her, blushing a little. "We could… go out and watch the moon. It's full tonight."

 

Weiss pondered on it for a short while, before returning to Ruby with a smile. "That sounds lovely. Let's go." This time, she took Ruby's hand, leading her to one of the large balconies the school had, with a perfect view of the moon outside, shining above the two. Weiss looked at it, the vision of her mother forming in her eyes again. There, in that perfect moment, the light from the moon reflected on both their silver eyes, Weiss enjoying the moment to its fullest, alongside Ruby.

 

"Wow… So pretty..." Ruby stared at the moon, eyes widened in awe, enjoying the view, while Weiss took the chance, leaning on her slightly, making Ruby blush.

 

"Ruby… Thank you..." Weiss said, in a voice as weak as a whisper.

 

"F-For what?" Ruby replied, face slowly becoming red.

 

"For everything… Showing me how to work with others… for letting me teach you… for being my friend..." Weiss trailed off a little, the two of them growing physically closer.

 

"W-Weiss… T-There's something I want to tell you..." Ruby's voice weakened a little, as Weiss grew curious.

 

"What is it?"

 

Ruby shook in place a bit. It was clear she was forcing herself, but Weiss gave her the time she needed to breathe a little and calm down a tiny bit before Ruby wrapped her arms around her again.

 

"I-I really like you!" She said, as the silence of the night resumed in her wake.

 

Weiss stopped in place. What Ruby just said filled her with so much joy, knowing her affections were going to be returned, that she could not bring herself to words. Her silence started to scare Ruby, seeing Weiss look deeply into her silver eyes, hoping this was not the silence of rejection.

 

"W-Weiss?" She asked one more time, trying to snap Weiss out, who shook her head a tiny bit, her gaze loving and embracing.

 

"I like you too Ruby… I'm so happy to hear you like me too." She finally managed to utter, causing a childish but happy smile to form on Ruby's face, embracing Weiss harder than before.

 

And as the moon as their witness, the two of them got closer to each other, lips touching, kissing for the first time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, this short, yet sweet story, comes to an end. I can persoanlly say I enjoyed writing and making this story with KuletXCore, and I hope you all enjoyed following the two of us on this short adventure. Now, don't worry, the end of this story doesn't mean I'm going anywhere. In fact, I already started thinking on my next project.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed reading and following Silver Eyed Heiress. I will see you all in the next story
> 
> \- ArchSinccubus


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